Orebody 29/30/35 Significant Amendment

Overview

The Orebody 29/30/35 Significant Amendment proposal is approximately 7 kilometres west-south-west of Newman in the Pilbara region next to existing Mt Whaleback mining operations.

BHP Iron Ore Pty Ltd proposes to continue and expand existing iron ore mining operations approved under Ministerial Statement 963: Orebody 29/30/35 Mining Below Watertable, published 18 March 2014.

The proposal includes the expansion of operations at Orebody 29 and 30 (above and below the water table), the addition of a ramp at Orebody 35, additional overburden storage areas, construction and operation of a new pipeline to Ophthalmia Dam (surplus water), and an increase to groundwater abstraction and surplus water disposal limits.

The development envelope is 1,346 hectares (ha) and proposes to clear up to 116 ha of native vegetation. The proposal is located within the Nyiyaparli Native Title determination area (Native Title file No. WCD2018/008).

Why your views matter

At this initial stage of the EIA process, comment is simply sought on whether or not the EPA should assess a proposal and, if so, what level of assessment is considered appropriate.

What happens next

Following the seven day public comment period and consideration of any comments received, the EPA will decide whether or not this proposal requires environmental impact assessment and, if so, what level of assessment will be applied.

The EPA's decisions on level of assessment are released each Monday on the EPA's website.