ENVIRONMENTALSTEWARDSHIP
BHP Billiton’s strategic environmental assessment
Ever since BHP Billiton Iron Ore commenced its iron ore
operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in the 1960s
it has sought to incrementally grow its integrated mine, port and
rail operations. The company is fortunate to have a large resource
endowment in the region, which provides it with flexibility to
sustain and grow its operations into the future.
Over the past 10 years, BHP Billiton Iron Ore has invested
more than US$19 billion in growing its Western Australia Iron
Ore (WAIO) operations – including expansion of mines such as
Mount Whaleback and Mining Area C, in addition to upgrading its
rail and port capacity. BHP Billiton Iron Ore produced 174 million
tonnes of iron ore in FY2012, and the company expects to increase
production in the 2013 and 2014 financial years and beyond.
In consultation with the state and commonwealth
environmental agencies, BHP Billiton Iron Ore is utilising a
broader longer term approach to seeking environmental approval
for its future proposed operations in the central Pilbara region.
It is expected that this landscape-scale ‘strategic approach’
to environmental assessment will be more efficient and
comprehensive, lead to improved environmental outcomes for the
region, provide greater opportunity for stakeholder consultation,
and provide government agencies with an enhanced capacity to
input into planning decisions.
The traditional approach
Like all other mining companies in Western Australia,
BHP Billiton Iron Ore has historically sought environmental
approvals on a project-by-project basis as required by the
Western Australian
Environmental Protection Act, 1986
and
the Commonwealth
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act, 199
9.
The assessment processes have
focused on potential environmental impacts within the defined
project footprint.
Iron ore on route through the central Pilbara
MINESITE 2012
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