EPA approves Rio's plans for Paraburdoo
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Environmental Authority (EPA) has approved plans by mining major Rio Tinto to expand its existing Greater Paraburdoo iron-ore hub, in the Pilbara.
The proposal includes the development of new deposits at Western Range including above and below water table mining, and the extension of existing operations at Paraburdoo and Eastern Range and associated infrastructure.
Mining at Paraburdoo started in 1972, and on the Eastern Range in 2004.
The EPA’s approval for extended works at Paraburdoo was the first awarded to Rio since the Juukan Gorge incident, in 2019, when blasting operations conducted by Rio destroyed the Juukan Gorge rock shelters.
In its report, the EPA noted that following "significant concerns" raised by the Yinhawangka People, Rio had revised the conceptual footprint for its expanded works to reduce potential impacts to Aboriginal heritage values within the development envelope.
Rio also collaborated with the Yinhawangka People to co-develop the Greater Paraburdoo iron-ore hub.
The EPA noted that direct impacts to heritage sites would require approval under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, and Rio will use the jointly developed Yinhawangka Country Social, Cultural and Heritage Management Plan (SCHMP) for this.
Through the development of the final SCHMP, it has been identified that approximately 87 sites will be impacted, either directly or indirectly, by the proposal. Further sites may be identified following additional surveys and ongoing engagement with the Yinhawangka People.
Rio has detailed that the Yinhawangka People will have "their own cultural determination of what constitutes impact on a site or cultural value and undertook their own impact assessment process for these to identify management outcomes to mitigate the impacts".
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
