Transport Minister says YES for Esperance port expansion

THE DRILL SERGEANT: The Yilgarn Esperance Solution (YES) consortium has been anointed by Western Australia Transport Minister Dean Nalder to design, build and operate the new Esperance Port Multi-User Iron Ore Export Facility (MUIOF).

The expansion is set to double the port’s iron ore export capacity, taking it from around 11 million tonnes per annum to 20 million tonnes per annum.

Yilgarn Esperance Solution Limited includes Asciano Ltd and includes other industry heavyweights Japan’s Marubeni Corp. and McConnell Dowell.

The consortium was one of two shortlisted bidders requested to submit a proposal to develop the facility.
 
“After an extensive bid process, I am pleased to announce YES has been chosen to design, build and operate the facility as well as provide all project funding and associated costs,” Nalder said in a government announcement.
 
“The companies which make up YES have a proven track record in developing and operating ports in Australia and internationally.”
 
The Minister said his approval for the YES consortium to win the government’s approval was based on a recommendation from the board of the Esperance Port Authority following an extensive procurement process undertaken by the MUIOF project team, independent expert engineering, commercial and legal advisers and an independent evaluation panel.
 
The consortium will now enter into contract negotiations with both the Esperance Port and potential users of the MUIOF and will be required to comply with all current environmental licences under which the port operates.
 
Nalder said a major upgrade of the Esperance Port Access Corridor would further improve access and efficiency at the port.  
 
The $120million Esperance Port Access Project includes a series of road and rail upgrades south of the Harbour Road/Pink Lake Road intersection to increase access into the port and improve safety and efficiency for local commuter and tourist traffic.

Esperance Port has been exporting iron ore since 1995. It is the deepest port in southern Australia and is capable of handling the iron ore sector-preferred cape sized vessels.

New facilities can be built relatively cheaply and quickly at Esperance Port compared to building a new port.

The Port already has infrastructure links to mining regions by the Leonora-Kalgoorlie-Esperance standard gauge railway line and transcontinental railway line to Kalgoorlie.

Mining tenements in the Yilgarn Region can, therefore, be linked to the existing rail network making the cost of transporting their product to Port much less than it would be if a new rail network had to be built.