Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant (DSDP)

Closed 23 Oct 2022

Opened 17 Oct 2022

Contact

6364 7000

Overview

The proponent (Hamersley Iron Pty Limited) proposes to build and develop a desalination plant at Parker Point, Dampier, located approximately 2.5km north-east of the Dampier township.  

This Proposal will establish a reliable potable water supply for the Proponent’s Dampier port operation  

(including Parker Point and East Intercourse Island), Dampier town and connection into Water  

Corporation’s West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme (WPWSS). The desalination plant may be delivered  

in stages up to a maximum production capacity of 8 GL/a of potable water to meet future water demands.

The Proposal would include: 

  • Seawater desalination plant  

  • Seawater intake  

  • Outfall to ocean  

  • Water transfer pipelines connecting the plant to potable water tanks and the existing West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme  

  • Other associated supporting infrastructure and services 

The proposal development envelope is 57.5 ha with most works occurring on previously disturbed land.  

  • 0.9 ha of the development envelope will occur within the Dampier Archipelago (including Burrup Peninsula) National Heritage Place (NHP) (0.002%). This intersect of the NHP occurs within the existing disturbed corridor that contains Water Corporation transfer pipelines.  

  • 13.5 ha of native vegetation will be cleared in the envelope (and 0.3 ha of this vegetation is within the NHP). 

The life of the proposal is projected to be 50 years.

Why your views matter

At this initial stage of the EIA process, comment is simply sought on whether or not the EPA should assess a proposal and, if so, what level of assessment is considered appropriate.

What happens next

Following the seven day public comment period and consideration of any comments received, the EPA will decide whether or not this proposal requires environmental impact assessment and, if so, what level of assessment will be applied.

The EPA's decisions on level of assessment are released each Monday on the EPA's website.

Areas

  • All of Western Australia

Audiences

  • Public

Interests

  • Seven-day comment on referrals