A BHP Iron Ore Pty Ltd proposal to expand its Jimblebar Hub has been recommended for environmental approval by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
The proposal, located 40km east of Newman on the traditional lands of the Nyiyaparli People, is for the development of a below water table mining deposit, beneficiation plant, and extensions to existing operations and supporting infrastructure.
EPA Chair Darren Walsh said the independent Authority’s report included recommended conditions to mitigate impacts to conservation-significant flora and fauna, and to ensure protection of the area’s biological diversity and ecological integrity.
"Conditioning limits of disturbance to fauna habitat, including mining exclusion zones for the ghost bat, would support the continued presence of the species within the development envelope,” he said.
Mr Walsh added that the EPA’s environmental impact assessment had taken the iron ore proposal’s cumulative effects into account, including already approved BHP operations and foreseeable BHP projects in the Eastern Pilbara, including Mt Whaleback, Western Ridge and Ore Body 32.
In addition to recommending conditions that demonstrated the timing and hectares of rehabilitation over the life of the proposal, the EPA also provided additional advice on rehabilitation more widely across the Pilbara.
“Through the recommended conditions for this proposal and strategic engagement with proponents more broadly, the EPA looks forward to receiving evidence that progress is being made towards demonstrating that successful rehabilitation at relevant rates can be achieved post-mining, and the increasing gap between cleared and rehabilitated areas is progressively being narrowed,” the EPA report stated.
“The technical and practical feasibility of proponents’ proposed rehabilitation will be considered in future mining assessments in the Pilbara, and therefore understanding the successes and challenges of current rehabilitation activities and forward planning will be a key issue for the EPA moving forward.”
The EPA’s report to the Minister for the Environment is now open for a three-week public appeal period, closing 27 October 2025. Appeals should be directed to the Office of the Appeals Convenor. The Minister for Environment will make the final decision on the proposal. EPA Report 1793 can be found on the EPA website.
EPA Media Contact: Jenni.Storey@dwer.wa.gov.au; 0434 734 997
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