Industrial development worth billions of rand and creating much needed jobs is realising in the Saldanha Bay area.
With an unemployment rate of 23% this is good news, as long as it is done in a socio-economical and environmentally responsible manner.
1 Vredenburg Urban Renewal
Three years ago Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM) announced plans for urban renewal projects both in Vredenburg and Saldanha.
The plan for Vredenburg includes constructing a central hub at the entrance to the town on the corner of Saldanha Road and Main Road. The provincial government has invested R35 m in the project following an agreement with SBM stated the municipality.
Various tenders are in place and negotiations with the national Departement of Public Works is in progress.
The hub will be a one-stop shop for government services, municipal, provincial and national.
2 Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone
Construction has started on the link road and bridge and other civil engineering projects for the back of port business hub of the country’s first industrial development zone (IDZ) located in a port.
On the port side construction of the offshore supply base, also a first, is in progress. More on tenders on www.sbidz.co.za.
3 Oiltanking Mogs Saldanha
Mining, Oil and Gas Services (MOGS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) has partnered with Oil Tanking Grinrod Calulo (OTGC) through a joint venture called Oiltanking Mogs Saldanha for the development of a 13,2 million barrel concrete storage and blending facility in Saldanha.
- The facility will consist of 12 interconnected tanks and will be targeted at global traders, producers and refineries.
The project received environmental approval. A public process and environmental impact study was launched in September for an underground pipeline from the port to the facility.
4 Liquid Petroleum Gas facilities
Both liquid petroleum gas (LPG) import, storage and distribution facilities are currently under construction just outside the Saldanha iron ore terminal.
Sunrise Energy and Avedia Energy have installed their first ‘bullets’, massive storage tanks. Both facilities plan to be operational by or within the first half of 2017.
5 Elandsfontein phosphate mine
More than R800 million has been spent on contracts for the construction of this controversial phosphate mine. The owners, Kropz SA (incorporating the former owners, Elandsfontein Exploration and Mining), expect to be mining phosphate, primarily for export via the port of Saldanha, in 2017.
The mine is still waiting for a water use licence from the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation and also for an air emissions’ licence.
The phosphate will be excavated from a section of the top aquifer and the water pumped out and re-introduced into the aquifer system a few kilometers away. The mine says studies indicate this will not have a major impact on the flow of fresh water to the Langebaan Lagoon, a internationally recognised marine protected area located about 15 km away.
