Integrated Tree Cropping (ITC) recently completed a pre-feasibility study of the proposal and the company’s board is expected to approve a full feasibility assessment early next year.
The company paid A$30m for a potential plantation site near Esperance last year and revealed plans to export as much as 500,000 tonnes of woodchips annually.
Although Esperance Port chief executive Colin Stewart said the woodchips would be a relatively small addition to the eight million tonnes of cargo shipped through the port last year, he did add that diversification would be a positive move for the port.
