Western Australia has broken a total of 16 shipping records across its Albany, Bunbury and Esperance ports, thanks to record shipments of spodumene.
Spodumene is a mineral consisting of lithium and is used primarily in vehicle and cell phone batteries.
Combined, the three ports exported a total of 2.4 million tonnes of spodumene for the 2023 financial year (FY23), smashing the previous record of 1.9 million tonnes last year.
The Port of Banbury alone exported 1.5 million tonnes of spodumene, while the Port of Albany exported 256,000 tonnes of silica sands.
Southern Ports chief executive officer Keith Wilks said that FY23 has been a bumper year for trade.
“Growth and diversification of our trade is important as our state transitions to new commodities, including those that support renewable energy production,” Wilks said.
“A record 2.4 million tonnes of spodumene was also exported through our ports over the past year, contributing to our state’s critical battery and minerals trade which will shape our country’s clean energy future.”
“These records are testament to the terrific work of our local teams and all of our customers and port service providers who are working together to deliver Western Australian products to world markets.
“Ports play a critical role in WA’s economy, and we’re proud to be delivering outcomes to support this.”