Australian environment body calls for shifting of BHP Billiton’s desalination plant

Environmental concerns over mining major, BHP Billiton's expansion plans at Roxy Downs have come to the fore with the Australian Conservation Foundation calling for the shifting of a desalination plant from Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia.

BHP Billiton intends to build a water plant near Whyalla to help meet the heavy water needs of its Olympic Dam mine.

The $20 billion expansion of the copper, gold and uranium mine at Roxy Downs is expected to transform the state, creating thousands of jobs and powering South Australia on to the global economic stage. South Australia will be home to the world's largest uranium mine at a time when the fuel gains increasing importance in a carbon-constrained world.

The majority of the state's citizens, the government and the company want the expansion to go ahead considering the tremendous benefits it will deliver.

According to Dave Noonan from the foundation, the company has no choice but to shift the plant to address the environmental and other concerns. He added that the company should accept that a desalination at the planned location would not be allowed and that they would need they would not be allowed to design a mine to leak millions of liters of radioactive waste a day.

Acting SA premier Kevin Foley said the government is working to achieve changes to the company's mine expansion proposal to enable the expansion to go ahead. Foley remains committed to the project and its benefits for the economy of SA.