BHP Billiton has made many specific commitments about the planning, construction and ongoing operation of the expanded project in the Draft EIS. The following is a high-level summary of some of the major environmental commitments:
- Avoiding known locations of threatened species of plants and animals
- Setting aside 128,278 ha of land for permanent conservation purposes, which is almost eight times more than the land disturbance necessary to construct the expanded project
- Pre-emptive controls and a real-time response system to manage dust
- Controlling radiation exposures to the workforce and members of the public to below recognised international limits
- Mitigation measures to reduce noise impacts of the open pit operation
- Improved use of process technology to keep emissions within regulated air quality criteria
- Changes to processing and tailings management to increase acidic liquor recycling and ensure the long-term stability of the tailings storage facilities
- For the construction phase of the desalination plant intake and outfall pipes, avoiding work in rocky reef habitat during the annual breeding season of the Australian Giant Cuttlefish
- A major revision and annual update of the Environmental Management Programs to ensure the performance outcomes and risk management strategies documented in the Draft EIS are achieved during the construction and operation phases of the expansion
- Use of green energy for the desalination plant
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to an amount equivalent to at least a 60% reduction (to an amount equal to or less than 40%) of 1990 emissions, by 2050.
Visit the Environmental Management Practices Information Sheet (PDF 183kb) for more information.
