Study into feasibility of wool scouring plant

A study will start early next month into the feasibility of establishing a wool scouring plant outside the Perth metropolitan area.

The Minister assisting the Minister for State Development, Gordon Hill, said the study would determine whether it was feasible to carry out early-stage wool processing in the Great Southern region.

The study would be funded as part of the WA Advantage's aim to boost secondary processing in Western Australia. It would be managed by the Great Southern Development Authority.

Scouring is the first stage of manufacturing in which the wool is washed, rinsed and dried before further processing.

"The study will investigate the suitability of five regional sites which have been nominated by the Authority and local government," Mr Hill said.

"About 30 per cent of WA's wool production is scoured before export and this is all carried out in the Perth area.

"The Great Southern and other regional areas offer great advantages for this type of industry because there is ample land available.

"This would allow for the safe and cost-effective disposal of scour and other waste water, compared with other, more densely-populated, parts of the world."

Mr Hill said the study would be carried out by J J Skillecorn and Associates, a New South Wales team of specialist consultants working exclusively in the wool industry.

The State Government's Renewable Energy Advisory Council had also provided funds to investigate - as part of the same study - the possibility of using straw as the fuel source for a future wool scouring operation.

"The possible use of straw is new for Australia, although it is being used as an energy source in Denmark and some other European countries," Mr Hill said.

"It may prove a viable and valuable fuel alternative in certain regions."

Mr Hill said the wool scouring study would be completed in October.