Southern Ports’ primary responsibility is to facilitate trade through our ports, in turn supporting the responsible advancement of projects that contribute to our shared economic prosperity and that of our regions.
One such project is Grange Resources’ Southdown Magnetite Project, which proposes the construction and operation of an open pit magnetite mine located approximately 90 kilometres east-northeast of Albany, and 10 kilometres south-west of Wellstead in the Great Southern region.
Grange Resources is proposing a ‘pit to port’ operation that would involve:
construction of a 110km underground pipeline to transport the magnetite concentrate from the mine site at Wellstead to our Port of Albany;
construction of a new filtration, storage and handling facility at the Port;
loading of the magnetite concentrate onto a smaller vessel berthed at the Port via conveyors and a shiploader; and
transportation of the magnetite concentrate in King George Sound, where it would be loaded from the smaller vessel to a larger vessel in a process known as transhipping.
Since 2004, Grange Resources has considered various options to export magnetite through the Port of Albany, and over this period Southern Ports has worked to assess the viability of the project and to understand and review the technical, environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposal.
Southern Ports’ activity in relation to the project was placed on hold in 2024 while Grange Resources seeks investment partners to assist with the development of the project.
Southern Ports has not reached a position on the suitability or otherwise of the proposal but we remain committed to re-engaging with Grange to understand and assess the project in the future.
To stay informed, visit the Southdown Magnetite Project website at https://www.grangeresources.com.au/operations/southdown
