Whyalla residents say NO to Lowly Peninsula port.
The Alternative Port Working Party member, Sid Wilson says the working group has identified an alternative site, at Mullaquana, 25km south of Whyalla, which they believe should be thoroughly investigated for the future Port,. “We believe it is a better location for a future single deep water port facility to meet the needs for development of Eyre Peninsula , the Northern and North Western areas of the State” Sid said “This could be a competitive port, for the strategic, long term future of South Australia” However the group says the Rann State Government is not prepared to progress a thorough investigation of the Mullaquana concept as requested by the Alternative Port Working Party and the Whyalla City Council
Engineer and Port Working Party member John Scott believes the proposed site is inadequate ”To be competitive they have to be able to use cape class vessels, very large vessels that carry 180,000 ton shipments at a time, and those ships require a shipping channel with 20 metres of water every hour of the day” he said “This site simply does not have that”
Sid Wilson says there is a better alternative.
Save Point Lowly group members say they have a message for Mr. Rann. There will be no port and no desalination plan on the Lowly Peninsula. We love Whyalla they say and we are finally shaking off our image a dirty industrial city, so we will be dammed if Mr Rann is going to come in here and wreck our premier tourist attraction and recreation area.
Spokesperson and local veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Melville-Smith described the turn out of residents as amazing “I have never seen so many people galvanized over one issue here in Whyalla” he said “People can see that the desalination plant and port on the Lowly Peninsula will irreversibly damage the economy, environment and social aspects of the State, Eyre Peninsula and city of Whyalla”
He says that residents have realised that Mr Rann's promise of jobs, jobs, jobs is a massive overstatement. If the Point Lowly Peninsular is industrialised we will lose our tourist jobs and get very few jobs from the port and desalination plant. “The tragedy is that there is a much better location for a port to the south of Whyalla” he said “We can keep our tourist area and have a major thriving port, which mean lots of jobs and a secure future for our children”
On the issue of a desalination plant he said that there are better ways to ensure a water supply to Olympic Dam and desalination is one of the most expensive alternatives. “If they have to have a desalination plant” said Dr. Melville-Smith “Then it has to be on the west coast with a deep ocean outfall for the hyper saline water and should be run 100% by on site wind power”. The Lowly Peninsula alternative is not acceptable to the residents. Read more.
May 23rd 2009
Lights back on
The Whyalla Council has turn the Point Lowly Lighthouse light back on with a dimmer yellow light