$95bn of projects ahead for WA

Woodside Petroleum’s Browse and Scarborough LNG developments are the biggest of $95 billion of major projects under way or likely in Western Australia, with 96 ongoing and a further 68 probable.

Browse and Scarborough are among the likely projects to have gathered steam since Business News first published the major projects list in August.

The combined value of the two Woodside builds would be about $35 billion, with the Scarborough plan including construction of a new processing train at the existing Pluto facility near Karratha, while Browse will involve a long pipeline and subsea work.

The 68 likely projects have a combined value of about $57 billion, including Chevron’s Janz/Io (Gorgon) Compression project, ranked third.

Chevron has already confirmed the Gorgon stage two investment, while the Clio/Acme development is a possibility.

The business has not given individual project values, except to say they are worth about $12 billion combined, a quarter of the $48 billion of energy investment in the pipeline for WA.

The biggest iron ore miners have $12 billion of projects in construction: Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri, West Angelas C & D, and Robe River expansions; BHP Group’s South Flank; and Fortescue Metals Group’s Eliwana.

Other projects include a possible $6 billion port and rail development by Balla Balla Infrastructure Group.

About $5.3 billion of investment into lithium mining and processing is under way or in consideration, with $3 billion specifically in refining.

US company Albemarle Corporation has been particularly ambitious with its $1 billion Kemerton refinery, telling investors last month that it hopes to start earthworks in December.

Metropolitan Perth won’t miss out, with likely projects including the state government’s $1.6 billion future rail car build and the $500 million Ocean Reef marina.

The $2.8 billion construction of offshore patrol vessels in Henderson and $1.6 billion Forrestfield Airport Rail Link are already under way.

Two very large ongoing projects are effectively finished, Shell’s Prelude FLNG and Inpex’s Ichthys.

Removing those two developments from the list has reduced the value of projects under way, but that is only a hangover from the previous boom.

You can view the full projects list at www.businessnews.com.au/index/project