- Government announces $3.3 million contribution towards
investigating the recommissioning of the Greenbushes to Bunbury Railway Line
- Talison Lithium will also contribute up to $3.3m
to the feasibility study
- Production of lithium mineral concentrate is expected
to exceed 2 million tonnes per year at Greenbushes Lithium Operation
The Cook Labor Government
has today announced the commencement of a joint Government and industry feasibility
study into recommissioning the Greenbushes to Bunbury Railway Line.
The State Government,
through the South West Development Commission, will allocate $3.3 million to
conduct the study, which will be matched by Talison Lithium.
The study will be led by
Talison Lithium, which operates one of the world's most important lithium mines
at Greenbushes.
The investigation will build
on a previous high-level feasibility study that was completed in 2020. For the
past 12 months Talison Lithium has been working with relevant stakeholders, investigating
prospective models.
With demand for lithium
continuing to rise globally and with production from Greenbushes expected to
rise to more than two million tonnes in the coming years, both industry and Government
determined it was appropriate to begin the next stage of studies.
Talison Lithium will work
with rail network manager Arc Infrastructure and the State Government on a
detailed assessment of the engineering requirements to bring the railway line back
into operation.
There will also be a substantial
community impact assessment, recognising that trains have not been seen on this
line for over 15 years.
Around 1.5 million tonnes
of lithium mineral concentrate are currently moved between the Greenbushes Lithium
Operation and Bunbury each year equating to around 135 daily truck movements on
the South Western Highway.
Over the next five years,
the amount of lithium mineral concentrate moved by road from Greenbushes is
expected to grow to 2.1 million tonnes each year, equating to more than 70,000
truck movements each year.
Recommissioning the Greenbushes
train line and moving the lithium mineral concentrate by train would remove approximately
200 trucks movements from South Western Highway each day.
The study is expected to
be completed in the second half of 2024. Study findings will determine the cost
of reinstatement of the track, level crossings and new terminal facilities in
the Greenbushes and Bunbury areas, and a joint Talison Lithium/Arc Infrastructure/Government
funding proposition.
Comments attributed to Regional Development Minister Don Punch:
"In 2020 our Government,
Talison Lithium and Arc began the process of investigating the recommissioning
of the Greenbushes Railway Line, by undertaking a high-level feasibility study.
"This new study recognises
the significant production increases and bright future for lithium projects in
the South-West, as well as the potential to reduce the use of the region's
roads by heavy trucking.
"A recommissioned
Bunbury-Greenbushes rail link would also provide the impetus for greater use of
the broader rail freight network linking the region with Perth."
Comments attributed to Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"The global demand for
lithium continues to grow at a rapid pace, and that means we will continue to
see production increase at mines like here in Greenbushes.
"In the next five years,
we're expecting the number of truck movements to and from the Greenbushes
Lithium Operation to increase to around 200 every day, which will further
increase congestion on the road network.
"Whilst there are
significant positives such as reducing congestion, cutting emissions and
improving road safety, we need to understand in detail what would be required
to recommission the train line and the associated costs."
Comments attributed to
Lorry Mignacca, CEO, Talison Lithium:
"Talison Lithium is proud
to be leading this work and looks forward to close engagement with its rail
industry partners, Government, and most importantly the communities along the
railway line.
"We are committed to undertaking
this study and are hopeful the results of the study will lead to decisions late
next year to recommission the Greenbushes to Bunbury railway line which would
take our product off the roads and assist with all our decarbonisation
efforts."
Comments attributed to
Murray Cook, CEO, Arc Infrastructure:
"Arc has been
working with Talison and the Government for several years on this initiative
and we are delighted to commence detailed studies.
"Arc looks forward to a
successful outcome from the study and making a significant investment to
upgrade the Greenbushes Railway Line to support Talison moving this important
task from road to rail."
Comments attributed to
Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie:
"I welcome the commitment
to undertaking this detailed study into the recommissioning of the Greenbushes Railway
Line.
"There are a number of
significant benefits that would come with recommissioning the line including
for road safety, job creation and supporting local industry and this study will
help us understand the requirements to bring it back into service."
Comments attributed to
Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns:
"This new feasibility
study is an important step towards recommissioning the Greenbushes to Bunbury
Railway Line.
"Communities in my
electorate, including Donnybrook, have raised the issue of increasing daily
truck movements with me so I know this announcement to investigate re-opening
the Greenbushes Line will be a welcome one.
"As the world transitions
towards net zero, demand for Lithium is growing rapidly and this presents
enormous economic and employment opportunities for our communities in the South-West."
