Whyalla Steelworks

The Whyalla Steelworks circa 2009

The Whyalla Steelworks is a fully integrated steelworks and the only manufacturer of rail in Australia. Iron ore is mined in the Middleback Range 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, Spencer Gulf and is the largest employer in Whyalla, South Australia.

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'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.^[1]

History

Steelworks and shipyards

HMAS Whyalla was built at the BHP shipyards and now sits in dry-dock adjacent to the Whyalla Visitors Centre

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 for the project was also guaranteed by the development of the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline.^[2] 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's efforts in World War II. 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 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 in Western Australia.^[3] In 1965, the honor was claimed again, when the Darling River was launched.^[4] 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.^[5] The shipyard also produced the world's first gas turbine-electric powered ship, the Seaway Prince in 1975.^[6] BHP's shipyards continued to operate until 1978. Many of the vessels were produced for the use of BHP Shipping. The eventual closure of the shipyards came as a major blow to the town of Whyalla and plunged it into an economic recession, with 1,800 workers made redundant.^[7]

In 1982, the steelworks employed 5,000 people. In 2011, the steelworks employed 1,600 people, down from a peak of around 6,000.^[7] The steelworks is owned by Liberty House Group, who purchased Arrium in September 2017.^[8] Arrium was previously known as OneSteel, and was spun off from BHP in 2000.

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

MV Lake Illawarra was sunk after colliding with the Tasman Bridge in 1975. 5 motorists' lives were lost

HMAS Pirie was launched in Whyalla in 1941

HMAS Kalgoorlie was launched in Whyalla in 1941

Plate from the vessel P.J.Adams on display at the SA Maritime Museum

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.^[14] 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 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 (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.^[14] 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.^[14] 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.

Water supply

Morgan on the Murray River: the majority of the steelworks' water is pumped to Whyalla from here

The Whyalla Steelworks draws the majority of its required water from the Murray River, via the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline. In December 2011, a reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant 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%.^[15] The brine from the plant is discharged into settling ponds which flow into the waters of False Bay, Spencer Gulf.

Railways

The rail network inside the steelworks was built as a narrow gauge network. 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.^[16] 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.^[17][18]

In the 1960s parts of the network were converted to standard gauge.^[19] In October 1972, the 74 kilometre Whyalla railway line opened primarily to serve the Whyalla Steelworks.^[20][21]

Having operated its own fleet of steam and later DH and DE class diesel locomotives, in 2000 operations were contracted out to Genesee & Wyoming Australia with locomotive maintenance taken over by Clyde Engineering and track maintenance by Transfield.^[22][23][24]

Red dust controversy

The rooftops of Whyalla are often pink with dust from the Whyalla Steelworks

Dust emissions from the Whyalla steelworks have been considered as a potential cause of elevated lung cancer incidence among residents of Whyalla. Between 1999 and 2004, 95 cases of lung cancer were recorded - 32 more than the Government of South Australia's Department of Health anticipated based on studies of other regions in the state.^[25] 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.^[26] The public controversy was predicated by a legal case heard in the Environment Resources 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.^[27]

See also

• Whyalla Barson

References

External links

Media related to Whyalla steelworks at Wikimedia Commons