Industry and Business

The remarkable growth of Whyalla was due to BHP's commitment to resource processing, steel production and until the mid 1970's shipbuilding. As a result a strong skills base has been established with companies specialised in steel fabrication, manufacturing, construction, hydraulics and other related trades.

With the gradual re-structuring of BHP/Onesteel over the last decade, Whyalla can no longer be classed as a 'one company town.' This evolution has in many ways strengthened the abilities of local companies to source work further afield and paved the way for local networks and clusters to be created. This has resulted in Whyalla being recognised as a major hub and service centre for the region catering for major contracts, such as the Alice Springs to Darwin railway, the Port Augusta power station and the giant Olympic Dam copper/uranium mine.

Pig Iron Production

The South Australian Steel and Energy Company established a pilot plant in Whyalla to trial innovative technology for the production of Pig Iron. Construction commenced on the $15 million plant in March 2000 and ownership has transferred to Ausmelt Pty Ltd. The project could result in a potential investment of $1.2 billion, which will produce 2.4 million tonnes of pig iron a year.

The synergies offered with the existing resource processing companies in Whyalla have contributed to the establishment of the pilot project in Whyalla, but the final location for the project is still in debate and could be either Whyalla or Coober Pedy.

Steelmaking in Whyalla

In the year 2000, the history book closed on BHP in Whyalla. BHP's long Products business which included the Whyalla Steelworks - became a separate entity called OneSteel, with Whyalla as the engine room for the new $2.8 billion business.

Whyalla produces approximately 1.2 million tonnes of raw steel each year - principally billet steel feed for the Company's operations in the Newcastle region. Around 35% of the Steelworks' raw steel production is also converted to finished products for the construction and rail industries, with Whyalla being the only rail manufacturer in Australia.

Iron ore for the Steelworks is sourced from the Company's nearby mines in the South Middleback Ranges - three mines having been opened in the last decade. Among the Steelworks' major operating facilities are a state of the art billet caster, modern slab/bloom castor, a rolling mill and a blast furnace, which will be realigned in 2004.

Resource Processing

In 1984 Santos Ltd commissioned a new $4 billion fractionation plant for the processing and export of liquid hydrocarbons from Central Australia.

The plant is located at nearby Port Bonython and liquid hydrocarbons are pumped 659 kms from the Cooper Basin oil and gas fields, where they are processed into crude oil, condensate, propane, ethane and butane.

The crude oil and condensates are shipped to Australian petroleum refineries, while liquid petroleum gases are sold to domestic and overseas markets, primarily Japan.

The site at Port Bonython was initially selected for the plant because of the suitability of its deep water, sheltered loading port and the availability of skilled workers in Whyalla.

Biotechnology

With high evaporation levels and the availability of large areas of land ideal for storing vast quantities of salt water, Whyalla was the ideal site for the establishment of an algae extraction plant for Betatene.

Whyalla's Betatene operation is the worlds largest producer of beta carotene, a safe source of pro-vitamin A, which is used as a food coloring in many of the worlds drinks and food products.

Today Betatene is one of Australia's largest exporters and a second site has been established in Western Australia, to increase production capacity.

Aquaculture

Since the pioneering and close nurturing of Whyalla's Aquaculture industry in the rear of the WEDB premises over ten years ago, Whyalla and the pristine waters of Spencer Gulf has seen significant aquaculture development.

Two companies have already established their position as key industry exporters of yellowtail kingfish, with a fish hatchery at Port and the growing out of the fish in sea cages at Fitzgerald Bay, just north of Whyalla. Currently (in 2003) the aquaculture industry employs in excess of 75 people, in both the finfish farms and fish processing plant in Whyalla. With predictions that this figure could easily double within the next two years.

Rural Production

As a result of Whyalla's 300 days of sunshine, low rainfall and susceptibility to drought, extensive cropping has not been possible and most of the rural land is devoted to low density sheep farming. These features alone have been the catalysts of new industries such as Betatene establishing in the region as it has provided them with a high level of evaporation to ensure their production rate.

In recent times interest has been shown in establishing major horticultural projects in or around the city. Some are exploring the production of crops such as quandongs or other Australian native plants and the use of greenhouses or hydroponics.