Mardie milestones reached for Australia’s future biggest salt works

WHAT IS destined to become Australia’s biggest salt works, BCI’s Mardie Salt & Potash Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara, has taken a step closer to completion.

A LinkedIn post from BCI said it had reached a number of construction milestones as it worked towards its first salt on ship.

It said construction was now 77% complete and crystalline lining was underway to create a safe and more predictable harvest environment with three crystalline liftstations completed and major earth works for the salt wash plant, stockyard and non-process infrastructure complete.

Mardie will produce more than 5.3million tonnes of high‑purity industrial salt and 140,000 tonnes of sulphate of potash a year, making it one of the biggest producers in the world.

BCI has secured a series of state and federal approvals for the Optimised Mardie Project.

The company has begun filling its first evaporation ponds and is advancing northern area construction works. Additional groundwater and environmental monitoring plans are being finalised ahead of expansion into later pond stages.

The project spans about 100 square kilometres of coastal mudflats between Karratha and Onslow, an area considered highly favourable for large‑scale solar evaporation.

Export operations will be supported by a dedicated transhipping system, including a new jetty and offshore loading infrastructure.

The project is backed by a Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan of up to $490 million and is expected to operate for more than 60 years, creating long‑term regional employment and new maritime activity in the Pilbara.

BCI says Mardie will supply key inputs for chemical manufacturing, agriculture and renewable energy supply chains, strengthening Australia’s position in global industrial minerals markets.