Graincorp's $20 million liquid terminal is a "vote of confidence" for Wollongong, according to lord mayor Gordon Bradbery.
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While the Port Kembla facility has been operating since October, it was officially opened on Tuesday by Cr Bradbery and GrainCorp CEO Mark Palmquist.
The facility - made with steel from BlueScope - features 10 silos, each 16 metres tall and capable of storing 1250 cubic metres of liquid.
That liquid could be anything from lubricants, oils and different types of chemicals to tallow and edible oils.
Cargo ships bring the liquid into port and pipes take it from the ships into the silos. Once there, tanker trucks drive up to the terminal to fill up and distribute it nationwide.
Cr Bradbery, who had been watching the facility steadily climb upwards from his office on level nine of the council chambers, was pleased with the finished product.
"It's a vote of confidence to see the infrastructure in place," Cr Bradbery said.
He said that for every $1 invested, there was a "spin-off" of around 168 per cent for the regional economy.
"It also adds to the mix of reasons we have the port here.
"The port is not just about coal any longer, it's about products such as oil and grain exports as well, so this is a multi-faceted operation at Port Kembla now.
"It also brings pressure on government to invest more in connectivity, in terms of infrastructure for rail and road transport. This is another incremental addition to the argument for the Maldon-Dombarton line."
Mr Palmquist said there were compelling reasons to choose Port Kembla as the home for the liquid terminal.
"Port Kembla represented a very good geographical spot for us to expand in liquid terminals," Mr Palmquist said.
"But it's also taking advantage of us having a site here already for us to work with. So we're able to build it at a cheaper overall cost which is a big support to our customers."
He also said being able to use BlueScope steel cut transport and logistics costs.