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The Whyalla Steelworks is a fully integrated steelworks and the only manufacturer of rail in Australia. Iron ore is mined in the
Middleback Range The Middleback Range is a mountain range on the eastern side of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The Middleback Range has been a source of iron ore for over a century, particularly to feed the Whyalla Steelworks. Mines in the region were first ...
to feed the steelworks, resulting in the distribution of finished steel products of over 90 different grades. It occupies a 1,000 ha site on the shore of
False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarcat ...
, Spencer Gulf and is the largest employer in
Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Approximately 1.2 million tonnes of raw steel is produced in the steelworks each year, with about 65% of that transferred by rail to
Arrium Arrium was an Australian mining and materials company, employing nearly 10,000 workers, that went into voluntary administration in 2016 with debts of more than $2 billion. In 2017 it was acquired by British-owned Liberty House Group. Hist ...
's Market Mills as billets for further processing. The balance of the steel is then converted to finished products at the Whyalla Rolling Mill. These products service the construction and rail transport industries. Dust emissions from the steelworks became a controversial topic in 2005 after legislation was rewritten to nullify a legal battle between OneSteel and the South Australian Environmental Protection Agency. The steelworks is open to the public for guided tours which can be booked at the Whyalla Visitors Centre.


History


Iron ore mining

The Whyalla Steelworks receives iron ore mined at various sites along the
Middleback Range The Middleback Range is a mountain range on the eastern side of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The Middleback Range has been a source of iron ore for over a century, particularly to feed the Whyalla Steelworks. Mines in the region were first ...
. Iron ore mining in this region dates back to at least 1900. Prior to the steelworks' construction, the ore was shipped from
Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
(then known as Hummock Hill) to
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
for use as a
flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
in smelters.Scheiffers, Sue "A Ribbon of Steel - Whyalla Surges Ahead" ''Lutheran Publishing House'', South Australia (1985). It was later supplied to steel-making facilities at
Port Kembla, New South Wales Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex (one of the largest in Australia), a small harbour foreshore nature reserve ...
. The first shipment of iron ore by sea for Port Pirie departed Whyalla in 1903. The first mines to be developed were
Iron Knob Iron Knob is a town in the Australian state of South Australia on the Eyre Peninsula immediately south of the Eyre Highway. At the 2006 census, Iron Knob and the surrounding area had a population of 199. The town obtained its name from its pro ...
and Iron Monarch, with later developments including Iron Baron, Iron Knight, Iron Princess, Iron Chieftain and Iron Duke. The mines were developed by
BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
, which went on to develop the steelworks and shipyards.


Steelworks and shipyards

The steelworks first established a plant for the production of pig-iron for sale or use at other BHP plants. The announcement was made in 1937 and South Australian legislation was prepared to facilitate the development.
Water security Water security is the focused goal of water policy and water management. A society with a high level of water security makes the most of water's benefits for humans and ecosystems and limits the risk of destructive impacts associated with water. T ...
for the project was also guaranteed by the development of the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline. The Whyalla Steelworks was opened in May 1941 with the first blast furnace 'blown in'. A shipyard was also constructed, designed to aid the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
's efforts in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war, the steelworks and shipyards continued to produce a range of products including rail track and maritime vessels for commercial use. In the 1960s, a
BOS ''Bos'' (from Latin '' bōs'': cow, ox, bull) is the genus of wild and domestic cattle. ''Bos'' is often divided into four subgenera: ''Bos'', ''Bibos'', ''Novibos'', and ''Poephagus'', but including these last three divisions within the gen ...
rolling mills and coke ovens were constructed, enabling the Whyalla plant to become a fully integrated steelworks. Various records were set and milestone met by the Whyalla shipyards. In 1947, Australia's largest domestically built vessel, the bulk carrier '' Iron Yampi,'' was launched. It was built for BHP Shipping to transport iron ore from
Yampi Sound Yampi Sound is a part of the Indian Ocean off the coast of north-western Australia, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is located between King Sound and Collier Bay. It lies between the Yampi Peninsula and the islands of the Buc ...
in Western Australia. In 1965, the honor was claimed again, when the ''Darling River'' was launched. With the launch of the tanker ''Arthur Phillip'' in 1974, the Whyalla shipyard passed a major milestone, having produced over one million tonnes of merchant vessels in total. The shipyard also produced the world's first gas turbine-electric powered ship, the ''Seaway Prince'' in 1975.
BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
's shipyards continued to operate until 1978. Many of the vessels were produced for the use of
BHP Shipping BHP Shipping was an Australian ship transport and shipbuilding arm of BHP. BHP Shipping traces its origins to 1915 when BHP chartered the SS ''Emerald Wings'' to transport its first load of iron ore from Whyalla to Newcastle on 19 January 1915. ...
. The eventual closure of the shipyards came as a major blow to the town of Whyalla and plunged it into an
economic recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
, with 1,800 workers made redundant. In 1982, the steelworks employed 5,000 people. In 2011, the steelworks employed 1,600 people, down from a peak of around 6,000. The steelworks is owned by
Liberty House Group Liberty Steel Group Holdings UK Ltd (LHG), which is also referred to as Liberty House or Liberty House UK, is a British industrial and metals company founded in the United Kingdom in 1992 by industrialist Sanjeev Gupta. It is headquartered in L ...
, who purchased
Arrium Arrium was an Australian mining and materials company, employing nearly 10,000 workers, that went into voluntary administration in 2016 with debts of more than $2 billion. In 2017 it was acquired by British-owned Liberty House Group. Hist ...
in September 2017.
Arrium Arrium was an Australian mining and materials company, employing nearly 10,000 workers, that went into voluntary administration in 2016 with debts of more than $2 billion. In 2017 it was acquired by British-owned Liberty House Group. Hist ...
was previously known as OneSteel, and was spun off from
BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
in 2000.


Current operations

The iron-making department incorporates the blast furnace, coke ovens and the power and services departments of the Whyalla steelworks. Molten iron is supplied from here to the
BOS ''Bos'' (from Latin '' bōs'': cow, ox, bull) is the genus of wild and domestic cattle. ''Bos'' is often divided into four subgenera: ''Bos'', ''Bibos'', ''Novibos'', and ''Poephagus'', but including these last three divisions within the gen ...
for manufacture into steel. Coke is produced on site from coal supplied to the plant from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
or
Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...
and ships are loaded with iron ore for shipment from Whyalla's port. Finished steel products are distributed by sea, road and rail. In 2020, the slip at the former shipyard was recommissioned as a facility to decommission, scrap and recycle (DSR) large ships. It was reported to be the only facility in Australia capable of handling ships over . The first ship through the facility was the former . The initial deconstruction work was done by
McMahon Services McMahon Services is an Australian civil engineering and construction company. It was established at Dry Creek in Adelaide in 1990. McMahon Services is contracted by governments and private industry for construction and demolition projects in m ...
at
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
before the hull was moved across Spencer Gulf to Whyalla. As of 2021, the interests of the works' owners, GFG Alliance, are represented to the South Australian parliament by lobbying firm, Bespoke Approach.


Steelworks development

* Blast Furnace No.1 was built between 1938 and 1941, blown in 1941, relined in 1965, closed in 1981 and demolished 1997. * Blast Furnace No.2 was built in 1965, relined 1981 and again in 2004. * The Boilerhouse was built in 1941 with 3 boilers. Boiler No.4 was added in 1950 and Nos. 5 and 6 in the late 1960s. Only Nos. 5 and 6 remain in full-time operation, with No.4 on standby. * The Salt Water Pump House was built in 1941 with 3 salt water pumps with another 3 pumps added later. Only 5 remain, with No.1 now serving as a backup diesel pump. * The Coke Ovens were built in the 1960s with 2 batteries. Another battery was added in the 1980s. * A 1.5 GL reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant was commissioned in December 2011.


Vessels built at Whyalla shipyards


Electricity supply

The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) was responsible for bringing electricity to the townships of Iron Knob, Whyalla, their associated mines and ultimately the Whyalla steelworks. This was achieved by the construction of three powerhouses and network infrastructure to reticulate the power. BHP commenced power supply to Whyalla in 1908 and Iron Knob in 1922. A second powerhouse was built in the 1920s to replace the first and was decommissioned in late 1941 (though it was still standing in the 1990s). The third powerhouse was built in 1941 as part of the No.1 Blast furnace. It features two turbo alternators and two turbo blowers and remains in operation. It provides
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
for use around the plant and air to the blast furnace. Compressed air is also utilised around the plant by a number of other departments. The South Australian grid, run by the then
Electricity Trust of South Australia The Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) was the South Australian Government-owned monopoly vertically integrated electricity provider from 1946 until its privatisation in 1999. Precursors Early days (1882–1900) Charles Todd, an ea ...
(ETSA), was extended to Whyalla by the late 1950s. While the town's supply was progressively transferred to ETSA during the 1960s, BHP continued to supply much of its own needs and those of some other customers that were not economic to transfer to the ETSA network. As BHP's power needs grew it began to use grid power for a greater portion of its own needs. However, as of 2016 the steelworks continues to generate its own electricity to lower its energy costs and increase security of supply. As of 2005, the Whyalla Steelworks has 66.5 MW of dedicated electricity generating capacity on-site. 57.5 MW of this capacity consists of three turbo alternators driven by steam raised in various boilers, fired primarily by waste blast furnace and coke oven gases. The boilers can also be fired with supplementary fuel oil and natural gas. The boilers also provide steam for process use around the plant. Two 4.2 MW gas turbines operate exclusively on purchased natural gas. Despite this on-site capacity, the plant relies on purchased electricity for a substantial portion of its needs, and only exports power to the grid occasionally. Plans for the associated 280 MW
Cultana Solar Farm Cultana Solar Farm is a proposed solar farm to be constructed north of Whyalla by SIMEC Group, SIMEC Energy Australia (part of the GFG Alliance). Construction is expected to begin early in 2020 after development approval was granted in May 2019. ...
was abandoned in 2021.


Water supply

The Whyalla Steelworks draws the majority of its required water from the
Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
, via the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline. In December 2011, a
reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pre ...
seawater
desalination plant Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltw ...
was commissioned. Capable of producing 1.5 GL of water per year, the plant allows Arrium to reduce Murray River water consumption by up to 25%. The brine from the plant is discharged into settling ponds which flow into the waters of
False Bay False Bay (Afrikaans ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarcat ...
, Spencer Gulf.


Railways

A rail network exists within the steelworks. Built as a narrow gauge network, it was converted to standard gauge in the 1960s. In 1901, a line opened from Whyalla to Iron Knob. In 1930, a branch opened from Middleton Junction to Iron Baron. The latter closed in 1947 being reopened in 1958. In 1990, it was extended 40 kilometres from Iron Baron to Iron Duke. After iron ore production ceased at Iron Baron in 1991 and Iron Duke in 1998, the line from Middleton Junction closed. With the reopening of the Iron Baron Mine in mid-2012, the line reopened to Iron Baron. In October 1972, the 74 kilometre
Whyalla railway line The Whyalla railway line runs from Port Augusta to Whyalla. History The Whyalla line was built primarily to serve the BHP's Whyalla Steelworks. The line was built by the Commonwealth Railways as a standard gauge line being opened on 6 October 1 ...
opened primarily to serve the Whyalla Steelworks.


Red dust controversy

Dust emissions from the Whyalla steelworks have been considered as a potential cause of elevated
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
incidence among residents of Whyalla. Between 1999 and 2004, 95 cases of lung cancer were recorded - 32 more than the
Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
's Department of Health anticipated based on studies of other regions in the state."Red dust cancer fears in steel town"
''News.com.au'', South Australia (2007-12-06). Retrieved 2014-01-27.
Concerns regarding emissions and their health impacts came to a head between 2005 and 2007, largely due to the efforts of Ted Kittel and the community-lead Whyalla Red Dust Action Group. Residents of East Whyalla and students of the Whyalla Town Primary School are believed to be worst impacted by the dust emissions due to their proximity to the source. The public controversy was predicated by a legal case heard in the Environment, Resources and Development Court in 2005, EPA v. OneSteel. The case evaporated after OneSteel successfully renegotiated the terms of their governing Indenture Act, with the support of the Government of South Australia.Phillips, Scott K
"IAIA08 Conference Proceedings - Shifting to Sustainable Business: OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks Case Study"
''28th Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment'', Perth (2008-05-04)


OneSteel's response

OneSteel responded by incorporating new processes into the design of ''Project Magnet''. By proposing to transport ore from the Iron Duke mine in a slurry pipeline, the company hoped to reduce opportunities for the emission of excessive red dust. The project was supported by acting Premier Kevin Foley who espoused the project's economic merits. The project represented a $395 million investment in the development of Whyalla's economy with coincidental environmental benefits. The plan was to be implemented by 2008. The company also engages in the assessment and remediation of buildings in the town of Whyalla, with results and other emissions statistics published in ''
The Whyalla News ''The Whyalla News'' is a newspaper serving the town of Whyalla on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia since 1940. It was later sold to Rural Press, previously owned by Fairfax Media, but now an Australian media company trading as Australian Community ...
''.


Political response

Greens MLC
Mark Parnell Mark Charles Parnell (born 9 September 1959) is an Australian former politician and parliamentary leader of the SA Greens in the South Australian Legislative Council. He was the first SA Greens representative to be elected to the Parliament of ...
openly criticised the government for initially relaxing the EPA licensing conditions on dust emissions by modifying the company's Indenture Act after significant breaches were recorded in 2005. The
Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australia ...
' leader
Sandra Kanck Sandra Myrtho Kanck (born 20 April 1950) is a South Australian politician. She was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1993 to 2009, first elected for the Australian Democrats for an eight-year term at the 1993 election a ...
was critical of the removal of the Minister for the Environment from the role of overseeing emissions licensing for OneSteel. The party was concerned that the sole ministerial responsibility for the company's emissions was now left in the hands of the Minister for Mineral Resources.Royal, Simo
"Has new legislation neutered the EPA?"
''Stateline'', ABC, South Australia (2005-09-16). Retrieved 2014-01-27.
At the time, Premier
Mike Rann Michael David Rann, , (born 5 January 1953) is an Australian former politician who was the 44th premier of South Australia from 2002 to 2011. He was later Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2014, and Australian am ...
was critical of the EPA, describing it as a 'toothless tiger... because it didn't have the backing of government, it didn't have independence'. As public and political pressure persisted, the Government eventually modified the licensing conditions for the facility's allowable airborne
pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
emissions. This included reducing the number of days per year that excessive dust was permitted. In 2006, 29 days of 'excessive dust' were recorded. The changed conditions would limit breaches to 10 days in 2008, and ultimately 5 days in 2011. Additional breaches could incur a fine of up to $120,000. The company was required to report monthly to the Government of South Australia with emissions reports and details of any remedial actions taken."Steelworks to reduce dust emissions"
''Manufacturers' Monthly'' (2007-12-11). Retrieved 2014-01-27.


Resolution

Despite describing their 'journey' with Whyalla's dust-affected community as 'reactive', 'very closed door', and 'adversarial', OneSteel eventually worked with the Whyalla Red Dust Action Group and sustainability consultants to address the community’s issues and work towards a feasible solution. OneSteel believes that Project Magnet was successful in addressing the red dust issue, mainly through the company’s introduction of a wet crushing process in 2007. Since then, OneSteel has attempted to further reduce its dust emissions and works with council and community groups to improve the visual appearance of dust-impacted areas in Whyalla.Onesteel Sustainability Report > Environment
''Onesteel'', South Australia. Accessed 2014-01-27.
The WRDAG was disbanded in 2010 after agreement that the red dust issue had been addressed. Former chair of the WRDAG, Ted Kittel, stated “The problem is resolved with a fair and reasonable outcome. I believe that OneSteel has now set a benchmark in the way it addresses environmental issues and in the excellent way it now communicates with the community.”


See also

*
Whyalla Barson Whyalla Barson is a suburb in South Australia located on the northern side of the city of Whyalla in the north east corner of Eyre Peninsula. It is named after Thomas Leonard Barson, superintendent of BHP in Whyalla from 1933 to 1938. The suburb ...


References


Further reading

* (OneSteel lost $195m in the 2018 financial year.)


External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Whyalla steelworks Ironworks and steelworks in Australia Shipbuilding companies of Australia Industrial buildings in South Australia Whyalla Manufacturing plants in Australia