Promise to community kept

K+S Salt Australia is pleased to announce multiple leases on environmentally sensitive land to the south of the Ashburton Salt project have been handed back to the WA State Government.

The company promised to do this when it announced the new solar salt project in 2016, in response to community concerns about future expansion.

The announcement, including details of old and new tenement (lease) areas, was discussed with participants at a community information session in Exmouth earlier this month.

At the session, K+S Salt Australia Managing Director Gerrit Gödecke said he recognised the land to the south of Ashburton Salt had significant environmental features.

“When we announced the project three years ago, the first thing the people of Exmouth asked us was whether we would expand southwards,” Mr Gödecke said.

“It wasn’t good enough to give our word that we wouldn’t, we had to show it – which we have done by handing back those leases to the state.”

Mr Gödecke added that during the course of the project development, engineers had reduced the footprint from the original project plan and were working on a range of initiatives to minimise project impacts.

“We still have some way to go before plans are finalised, but I want Ashburton Salt to be one of the most environmentally sustainable solar salt projects in the world.”