Pilbara Iron Ore and Infrastructure Project: East-West Railway and Mine Sites (Stage B)

Project
Proponent
Fortescue Metals Group Limited
Proposal description

The original proposal, as set out in the proponent’s PER, comprised four iron ore mines in the Pilbara region, an ore beneficiation plant, a borefield, an accommodation village and 160km of east-west railway connecting to the north-south link to Port Hedland.

Since release of the PER, FMG has made several major modifications to the proposal:

  • the proposed mines at Mt Lewin and Mt Nicholas have been excised;
  • the connecting infrastructure to those minesites is not now needed, leading to a change in the length of the railway from 160km to 111km (rail route option 3);
  • an alternative rail line crossing of the Chichester Ranges further to the east is proposed (option 3) versus the originally preferred option 2 route; and
  • overall disturbance has reduced from 17,107ha to 12,175ha, with a reduction in the amount of Mulga that will need to be cleared.
Assessment Number
1520
Region
Pilbara
Referred under EP Act
s38
Industry sector
Infrastructure
Iron Ore
Last updated
Current Status
Ministerial Statement published
2. Decision on whether to assess this proposal
Chair's Determination
Assess - Public Environmental Review
Preliminary Environmental Factors
Flora and Vegetation
Terrestrial Fauna
Hydrological Processes
Inland Waters Environmental Quality
Date published
3. Assessment
Scoping
Environmental scoping document
Scoping document (included as Appendix A to the PER) (PDF, 1.97 MB)
Approved
Environmental Review
Environmental Review documentation
PER document (PDF, 43.81 MB)
Appendix: Evaluation of Alternative Rail Routes (PDF, 6.12 MB)
Appendix: Surface hydrology (PDF, 438.86 KB)
Appendix: Water flow in Mulga areas adjoining Fortescue Marsh (PDF, 2.23 MB)
Appendix: Hydrology (PDF, 13.83 MB)
Appendix: Socio-economic assessment (PDF, 385.43 KB)
Appendix: Aboriginal heritage (PDF, 82.32 KB)
Appendix: Vegetation and flora survey (PDF, 8.98 MB)
Appendix: Potential Impacts on Groundwater Dependent Vegetation (PDF, 39.52 KB)
Appendix: Vegetation Disturbance (PDF, 24.87 KB)
Appendix: Fauna habitat and fauna assemblage survey (PDF, 7.04 MB)
Appendix: Subterranean fauna (PDF, 298.76 KB)
Appendix: Risk assessment (PDF, 144.42 KB)
Appendix: Christmas Creek deposit - Implications for Mine-Waste Management (PDF, 1.42 MB)
Appendix: Mindy Mindy deposit - Implications for Mine-Waste Management (PDF, 909.17 KB)
Appendix: Mt Lewin deposit - Implications for Mine-Waste Management (PDF, 1.37 MB)
Appendix: Mt Nicholas deposit - Implications for Mine-Waste Management (PDF, 1.81 MB)
Appendix: Noise impact assessment (PDF, 833.8 KB)
Appendix: Conceptual Mine Closure Plan (PDF, 269 KB)
Proponent response to submissions
Response to submissions (PDF, 3.53 MB)
4. EPA Report on assessment
EPA Report Number
1202
EPA Report
Pilbara Iron Ore Infrastructure Project: East-West Railway and Mine Sites Stage B (PDF, 4.66 MB)
Key Environmental Factors
Flora and Vegetation
Subterranean Fauna
Terrestrial Environmental Quality
Date published
Appeals close
5. Decision on proposal and implementation of proposal
Ministerial Statement
Date of approval
Ministerial Statement
Ministerial Statement 707 (PDF, 3.13 MB)
Post-assessment changes
s. 45C amendments

Attachment 1 to Statement 707 - Increase to Christmas Creek clearance area (by 12.5ha) - section 45C change to proposal approved on 21 October 2006.

Attachment 2 to Statement 707 - Alterations to rail corridor alignment and length - section 45C change to proposal approved on 3 October 2008.

Attachment 3 to Statement 707 - To haul iron ore from Christmas Creek to Cloud Break via truck along existing roads, in addition to the approved transportation by train - section 45C change to proposal approved on 23 June 2009.

Attachment 4 to Statement 707 - Additional impact area for rail duplication works (by 102ha) - section 45C change to proposal approved on 21 December 2009.

Attachment 5 to Statement 707 - to realign approximately 6 kilometres of the western portion of the access road used to haul ore from the Christmas Creek to Cloud Break mine sites - change to proposal approved under s45C on 15 March 2010.

Attachment 6 to Statement 707 - Extension of pipeline from the Hillside East reinjection borefield into the Christmas Creek mine site - change to proposal approved under s45C on 6 April 2010.

Attachment 7 to Statement 707 - Construction of additional rail infrastructure; Construction of an access/transport route between the Christmas Creek mine site and Marble Bar Road, as shown in Figure 8 (this replaces the section of road between the Christmas Creek mine site and Marble Bar Road depicted in Figure 3 of Attachment 1); and Removal of production rate from Key Characteristics Table - change to proposal approved under s45C on 28 March 2012.

Date of approval s. 45C
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