Pilbara Industrial Development in 2025: Strategic Areas Powering Australia’s Resource and Energy Future

Western Australia’s Pilbara region is globally recognised for its resource wealth — but in 2025, it’s the strategic transformation of this vast region into a future-focused industrial powerhouse that’s capturing national attention. The State Government’s coordinated delivery of Strategic Industrial Areas (SIAs) is creating development-ready hubs for minerals processing, advanced energy, hydrogen production, LNG, and heavy industry. These are not speculative land plays — they’re fully planned, serviced, and export-connected precincts designed to support long-term investment and downstream industrial growth.

With major approvals in place and tens of billions in pipeline value, Pilbara’s industrial development landscape is evolving rapidly. Whether you’re a developer, logistics operator, infrastructure partner, or capital investor, understanding how and where to enter the Pilbara market is now essential.

What are Strategic Industrial Areas and why they matter

Western Australia’s SIAs are pre-zoned, state-backed, and infrastructure-ready areas that support industry clusters tied to resource extraction, processing, energy, and freight. In the Pilbara region, they provide:

• Dedicated heavy industry zoning far from sensitive receptors

• Port and freight corridor alignment to enable efficient export

• Power, water, gas, and future hydrogen infrastructure corridors

• Structured environmental approvals that reduce project risk

• Government-led planning that supports staged land release

• Priority investment areas for decarbonisation and clean energy transition

These areas form the foundation for WA’s industrial future — from iron ore beneficiation and ammonia plants to battery minerals and hydrogen hubs.

Overview of the key Strategic Industrial Areas in the Pilbara

The Pilbara currently contains six major SIAs, each with unique positioning, land availability, and industrial focus:

• Burrup SIA – Energy-intensive industries and LNG downstream

• Ashburton North SIA – LNG, gas, and related petrochemical industries

• Boodarie SIA – Minerals processing, hydrogen, ammonia, and heavy manufacturing

• Anketell SIA – Greenfield port and multi-industry precinct

• Maitland SIA – Large-scale processing and energy-related industry

• Karratha SIA (future expansion) – Infrastructure servicing Burrup and Maitland

These estates are not in competition — they’re strategically located and sector-targeted, supporting an integrated industrial economy.

Burrup Strategic Industrial Area

Located on the Burrup Peninsula, just north of Karratha, this estate is one of Australia’s most active industrial precincts. It’s home to some of WA’s largest energy and chemicals infrastructure and has proximity to the Dampier Port and North West Shelf gas infrastructure.

Key industries supported include:

• LNG and gas processing

• Ammonia and urea production

• Hydrogen and low-carbon fuel production

• Industrial gas storage and pipeline supply

Notable tenants and projects:

• Yara Pilbara – ammonia plant

• Perdaman – $6.4B urea project under construction

• ENGIE and Yara – Pilbara Renewable Ammonia facility

• Hybrid hydrogen/gas transition feasibility underway

Why it matters: Burrup has pipeline access, port proximity, and one of the most advanced permitting environments for heavy industry in the nation.

Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area

Approximately 11 km southwest of Onslow, Ashburton North is another gas-aligned industrial estate with proximity to the Ashburton Port and existing hydrocarbon developments.

Strategic advantages:

• Direct access to the Chevron Wheatstone LNG facility

• Proximity to offshore gas fields in the Carnarvon Basin

• Deepwater port infrastructure under development

• Future expansion of hydrogen-ready infrastructure corridors

Recent developments:

• State approvals for expanded development footprint

• Land allocations expected to unlock $35B in new projects

• Emerging hub for clean fuels, hydrogen derivatives, and low-carbon gas

Ashburton North is positioned as a core precinct for the next generation of WA gas and chemical processing.

Boodarie Strategic Industrial Area

Located immediately south of Port Hedland, Boodarie is one of the few heavy industrial zones directly adjacent to a major bulk export port.

Zoned for:

• Iron ore beneficiation and steelmaking

• Battery metals processing and downstream lithium refining

• Green hydrogen, ammonia, and related clean energy industries

• General heavy manufacturing and export-led industry

Key features:

• Direct access to Port Hedland’s deepwater berths

• Road and future rail connectivity with inland Pilbara mining

• Strategic alignment with battery value chain and net zero targets

Boodarie is gaining fast interest from proponents in decarbonised steel, renewables manufacturing, and base metals processing.

Anketell Strategic Industrial Area

Anketell SIA is a long-term project targeting port development and industrial diversification in the West Pilbara, approximately 30 km east of Karratha.

Planned features:

• Multi-user port to support bulk materials and break-bulk export

• Industrial lots tied to iron ore, hydrogen, and downstream products

• 4,300ha of developable land with strategic transport corridors

• Positioned as a long-term growth node for Pilbara industry

While early in delivery, Anketell offers future-scale potential for port-aligned manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

Maitland Strategic Industrial Area

Just 24 km south-west of Karratha, Maitland is one of the largest and most versatile SIAs in the state, with over 2,500 hectares of developable land.

Planned and approved for:

• Hydrogen hubs and derivative production (methanol, ammonia)

• Battery mineral processing and chemical manufacturing

• Energy-intensive industrial activity

• Integrated use with nearby Karratha airport, port, and rail

Strategic relevance:

• Positioned as WA’s leading hydrogen export zone

• Underpinning projects tied to Japan and Korea supply agreements

• Backed by precinct-scale infrastructure planning and approvals

Maitland is likely to become WA’s flagship site for large-scale renewable hydrogen and ammonia exports by 2030.

Economic impact and investment pipeline

The combined potential of these SIAs is staggering. Recent government reporting indicates:

• Over $70 billion in proposed and approved industrial projects

• Thousands of construction and operational jobs over 15+ years

• New hydrogen and clean energy export corridors under formal MOU

• Long-term land value growth in adjacent logistics and support sectors

• Upstream and midstream project partnerships emerging across each estate

These areas are also being positioned as critical enablers of WA’s Net Zero by 2050 strategy, with co-location of solar, battery, and hydrogen facilities likely to accelerate.

Who should be paying attention

FBPW is best suited for:

• Industrial developers seeking scalable heavy-zoned land near infrastructure

• Clean energy producers needing export corridor certainty

• Logistics and support services targeting remote operations

• Infrastructure funders and private capital with ESG-aligned mandates

• Resource companies seeking to vertically integrate or diversify processing

• Government partners and regional shire planners seeking project alignment

These are not speculative estates — they’re supported by approvals, government planning, and major tenants.

How we help market and visualise SIA projects

We work with industrial developers, state agencies, and landowners across WA to help visualise and position major land assets within strategic precincts. For SIA-related projects, we offer:

• Aerial and ground 3D renders of proposed facilities and lot layouts

• Pre-title marketing tools for early-stage release

• Messaging frameworks for heavy industry and ESG-sensitive investors

• Digital rollout support, including brochures, presentations, and animations

• Sector-specific campaign development targeting hydrogen, mining, logistics, or energy

If you’re preparing to bring a Pilbara industrial asset to market — or need to visualise a new facility for approvals, finance, or anchor tenants — we can help deliver with speed and polish.

Let’s talk about marketing Pilbara’s next major industrial project

The future of WA’s industrial growth is happening in the Pilbara. If you’re involved in any stage of land release, infrastructure delivery, or project positioning, we can help shape your marketing strategy with 3D clarity, compelling visuals, and messaging that speaks directly to energy, resource, and logistics decision-makers.