WA presses ahead with new Perth port at Kwinana

The Western Australian government will begin detailed planning for a new WA container port in Kwinana south of Perth, supporting a growing industrial region and freeing up land at the historic Port of Frmantle for housing development.

Project definition planning will support completion of designs, securing approvals, resolving risks and uncertainties, land acquisition and refining costs and construction strategies for the new Westport (pictured) ahead of final decisions and procurement of capital works contracts.

The government confirmed the Westport business case had been finalised, showing significant risk to the WA economy and industry from future constraints on container trade if Westport is not built in time.

The business case found inaction to address constraints on trade could cost the Western Australian economy $244 billion over coming decades – an average of $5 billion per year – driving significant increases in the costs of everyday household goods and for WA businesses.

The new container terminal in Kwinana will deliver significant benefits to the State, including:

• Future-proofing WA’s trade capabilities for the next century, ensuring costs for imports, exports and everyday goods remain low
• Accommodating the larger, more efficient vessels expected to visit Perth in the 2030s
• Increasing the number of containers moved by rail from 20 per cent to an estimated 30 per cent, improving efficiency and reducing road congestion and emissions
• Catalysing industry growth within the Kwinana Industrial Area and broader Western Trade Coast
• And paving the way to unlock around 260 hectares of prime inner urban land in Fremantle, which will deliver homes for around 55,000 people.

Under a moderate growth scenario, Fremantle Port is expected to reach its capacity of 1.4 million containers per year by 2040, or as early as the mid-2030s if higher volumes of trade eventuate, with the surrounding road and rail network become significantly constrained.

If no action is taken and trade exceeds Fremantle Port’s capacity, containers bound for Western Australia will need to be offloaded at east coast ports and transported back by road and rail, adding to costs.

The business case also confirmed that the option to extend the life of Fremantle Port would still require Westport to be built less than 10 years later.

The business case estimated government investment of $7.2 billion will be required to deliver the new container port, with container trade moving from Fremantle to Kwinana by the late 2030s.

The Federal Government has committed $33.5 million towards the next phase of planning with the state providing $273 million.

WA Premier Roger Cook said: “WA is a trading state, and our container port supports the entire state economy – we cannot let our only container port run out of room.”

Image: Artist’s impression of Westport