The Western Australian government has announced $92.4 million in programs as part of the state’s Covid-19 economic recovery efforts, supporting a diesel railcar maintenance facility, attracting battery material manufacturing capacity to the state, and recycling initiatives.
A statement from the WA government on Wednesday said $40.1 million would fund a facility for maintaining Australind, Prospector and AvonLink railcars, “as well as the high-tech new Infrastructure Diagnostic Vehicle and PTA’s locomotive U201.” The maintenance facility will be at the Bellevue site where 246 C-Series for the Australind Perth-Bunbury service will be made. A contract will be announced in 2021.
Support budgeted at $13.2 million would also be provided “to attract a global cathode active materials manufacturer to establish a production facility in WA.” The funding would “include incentives to offset project costs, such as land lease rates” and seek to increase the state’s role in global battery supply chains.
Three other manufacturing-related initiatives were given as:
- $600,000 to assess viability of a Collie Eco-Concrete Processing Plant;
- $15 million towards developing waste paper and cardboard processing capacity to support the COAG Waste Export Bin; and
- $20 million in grants and industrial land to support development of local waste processing capabilities and implement the COAG Waste Export Ban.
Picture: Design of the new Australind train (PTA of WA)
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