PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian government on Wednesday revealed its master plan for the proposed Anketell port, detailing the plans for the multi-user and multi-commodity deep-water port.

At full development, the Anketell port would have capacity of about 350-million tonnes a year, around 20% more than the total shipments through Port Hedland in 2012/13.

The master plan included provisions for a substantial infrastructure corridor and more than 800 ha of industrial land to support port activities and future mining operations. Initial environmental approvals for the site were in place, a native title agreement had been signed and an Aboriginal heritage survey was currently under way.

Premier and State Development Minister Colin Barnett said that access to port space was an increasingly rare and valuable commodity in the Pilbara.

“Development of Anketell port will help to unlock the potential of the West Pilbara by aiding further development of the state’s natural resources. This master plan is a clear guide for proponents who are seeking additional routes to bring ore to market.”

The Department of State Development and the Dampier Port Authority jointly developed the plan. The two units would continue to collaborate as the project progressed.

The proposed port and strategic industrial area would be built about 30 km east of Karratha and 10 km west from Cape Lambert.

Anketell port would be developed and funded by private sector builders or users, and would be managed by a Port Area Manager under the Port Authorities Act. The port development was expected to occur to meet demand in stages, over a number of decades.

The actual Stage 1 capacity and configuration of the port would be decided by the port builder or end-user, and would be subject to a minimum capacity of around 25-million tonnes a year.

Barnett said that Anketell could well be the last major new port in the Pilbara.

In April this year, the state government reached a Native Title Agreement over the proposed site for the Anketell multi-user port facility, which was imperative in ensuring that the site could be developed timeously.

ASX-listed Aquila Resources is currently the front-runner to develop the port project, with its plans receiving environmental clearance in May last year.

Federal Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities Minister Tony Burke at the time imposed 45 conditions on the project’s development, which would ensure that it did not have any unacceptable impacts on the environment.

Aquila’s development plan included a deep-water port with iron-ore stockpiling, transfer and shiploading facilities, and would allow the processing and export of iron-ore from the Australian Premium Iron Joint Venture's (JV's) previously approved West Pilbara iron-ore project, with a capacity of 115-million tons a year. The project is a JV between Aquila and American Metals and Coal International.

However, the company’s plans for the port development were up in the air, as Aquila was currently the target of a A$1.4-billion takeover bid by China’s Baosteel and freight carrier Aurizon Holdings.