Until recently, Perdaman was relatively unknown to most Australians. That changed on Tuesday, August 1st, 2026, when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that the privately-owned multinational would lead plans for the country's first new oil refinery in more than 60 years.

The announcement was made at Perdaman’s Project Ceres site, a large urea plant under construction on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga), approximately 1,540 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia’s capital. The $4 million pre-feasibility study will explore what it would take to build the refinery along the West Australian coast.

Perdaman, Indian-owned but headquartered in Perth, has diverse interests including fertiliser, pharmaceuticals, property, chemicals, labour hire, and renewable energy. The Project Ceres plant, due to open next year, is expected to produce 2.3 million tonnes of urea annually, making it one of the world’s largest.

The global urea supply chain has been disrupted by the war in the Middle East, causing domestic fertiliser prices to soar, adding context to Perdaman’s expanding industrial footprint.

However, the company’s dealings with Indigenous people have drawn criticism. Ms Walker emphasized that Australia should be informed about Perdaman’s engagement with Indigenous communities. She stated, “This is a company that has and continuously has no respect to engage … or consider anything that the traditional owners or the people of the country have to say.”

Perdaman’s operations on the Burrup Peninsula involved relocating some activities with state and federal government approval after consulting the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which represents the local language groups. The company asserts it has engaged extensively and collaboratively with relevant traditional owner representative organisations throughout Project Ceres’ development.

Questions remain about the company’s relationship with Indigenous stakeholders and the broader implications of the refinery project. As required, all developments will comply with applicable Commonwealth and Western Australian regulatory frameworks.

Sources