Multimillion-dollar deal paves way to loosen Rio's hold on the Pilbara

Article by Emma Young at WA Today

A West Australian mining lease Clive Palmer’s Mineraology was forced to give up has been split and sold in a deal that could pave the way for two Perth-based newcomers to loosen Rio Tinto’s stranglehold on the hugely profitable industrial salt market.

The sale of the land just south of Karratha not only proves a game-changer for a huge new project, but also movement on a long-stalled new Pilbara port.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of industrial salt, sending 11 million tonnes a year mostly to a growing Asia-Pacific chemical market. It is the Pilbara’s biggest bulk export commodity after iron ore.

The West Australian scene is monopolised by Rio Tinto’s Dampier Salt, which produces about 8 million tonnes a year across the Pilbara, but Perth-based companies Leichhardt Industrials and BCI Minerals are poised to disrupt Rio’s rule.

* Note: Key Company and Project Details have changed since the release of the article