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Amendment Notice 1 Works Approval Number W5630/2014/1 Works Approval Holder Pilbara Iron Company (Services) Pty Ltd ACN 107 201 248 Registered business Level 22, Central Park address 152 – 158 St Georges Terrace PERTH WA 6000 Date of amendment 6 October 2016 Prescribed Premises Category 5: Processing or beneficiation of metallic or non-metallic ore; Category 64: Class II or III putrescible landfill site. Premises Yandicoogina Iron Ore Mine AM70/00274 NEWMAN WA 6753 Amendment The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Department of Environment Regulation (DER) has amended the above works approval in accordance with section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 as set out in this Amendment Notice. Date signed: 6 October 2016 Agnes Tay DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND REFORM an officer delegated under section 20 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA) Works Approval: W5630/2014/1 File No: DER2014/00653 Template: 1.3 1 Amendment Notice This notice is issued under section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) to amend the works approval issued under the EP Act for a prescribed premises as set out below. This notice of amendment is given under section 59B(9) of the EP Act. This notice is limited only to an amendment for Category 5: Processing or beneficiation of metallic or non-metallic ore. No changes to the aspects of the original works approval relating to Category 64: Class II or III putrescible landfill site have been requested by the Works Approval Holder. Amendment Description On 18 July 2016 Pilbara Iron Company (Services) Pty Ltd (Works Approval Holder) submitted an application (RTIO, July 2016) to DER for an amendment to the Yandicoogina Iron Ore Mine Works Approval (W5630/2014/1). The amendment application relates to an expansion of existing Waste Fines Cell 3 (WFC 3) to incorporate an additional cell referred to as WFC3A. Table 1 provides a summary of the applicable prescribed premises category changes and the extent of the proposed amendment. Table 1 – Proposed design capacity requested in amendment application Category Current Design Proposed Design Description of proposed extent Capacity Capacity 5 3 million tonnes 4.1 mtpa period Change and increase to in-pit per annum disposal of waste fines within (mtpa) period Waste Fines Cell 3 64 1,500 tonnes 1,500 tonnes per No change per annum annum Background W5630/2014/1 was issued on 12 June 2014 for the in-pit construction of WFC3 at the Junction South East (JSE) pit, as well as the construction of a putrescible landfill at the Junction South West (JSW) mining area. Under the Works Approval, WFC3 was to be constructed in two stages with Stage 2 comprising of a lift to Relative Level (RL) 500 on top of the initial (Stage 1) embankments. The Works Approval Holder notified DER in March 2015 that construction of Stage 1 had been completed. DER issued a compliance certificate for Stage 1 dated 4 March 2015. The Works Approval Holder has not yet commenced construction of Stage 2 as it is now intended to first deposit waste fines within WFC3A prior to commencing the lift on WFC3. The Yandicoogina mine site operates under Ministerial Statement (MS) 914, issued under Part IV of the EP Act. The amendment application states that the construction of WFCs within the Junction Central and JSE areas has been assessed and approved as part of MS 914. The Delegated Officer notes that neither MS 914 nor the associated Environmental Protection Authority report specifically mention WFCs or any method of disposing of waste fines. Works Approval: W5630/2014/1 File No: DER2014/00653 Template: 1.3 2 Proposed design of WFC3A WFC3A will be located within the JSE pit immediately to the north of WFC3. The final footprint of WFC3A (within the pit) will be approximately 70 hectares (ha). The maximum volume of tailings deposited into WFC3A will be 4.4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). WFC3A will consist of an interim embankment to the north of WFC 3 and a final embankment located to the north of the interim embankment. Tailings will be deposited into the space between WFC3 and the WFC3A interim embankment until this area reaches capacity. Deposition will then be directed into the void between the WFC3A interim and final embankments. The WFC3A interim embankment will be constructed with an elevation of between RL 460 and RL 465m. The final embankment will be constructed as three lifts with RLs of 470, 478 and 490m respectively. Other Approvals The Works Approval Holder holds the approvals listed in Table 2 which are relevant to the amendment application. Table 2: Relevant approvals Legislation Number Approval Environmental Ministerial Assessed by the Environment Protection Act 1986 - Statement 914 Protection Authority (EPA) under a Part IV Public Environmental Review level of assessment. Conditions 9-1 to 9-5 – regulate long term hydrogeological impacts Location, environmental siting and potential receptors Table 3 below lists the relevant human receptors in the vicinity of the WFC3A. Table 3: Receptors and distance from prescribed activity Residential and Sensitive Premises Distance from Prescribed Activity Phil’s creek accommodation village Approx. 10.5km north-west of WFC 3A. Marillana Pastoral Station Approx. 25km north-east of WFC 3A. Homestead (Pastoral Lease L3114984, held by BHP Billiton) Works Approval: W5630/2014/1 File No: DER2014/00653 Template: 1.3 3 Table 4 below lists the relevant environmental receptors in the vicinity of WFC 3A. Table 4: Environmental receptors and distance from prescribed activity Environmental receptors Distance from Prescribed Activity Weeli Wolli Creek Approx. 2.5km south-east of WFC 3A. Weeli Wolli Spring Approx. 13km south-west of WFC 3A. Risk assessment Tables 5 and 6 below apply a basic risk assessment to the potential emissions which may arise from the amendment application. Both tables identify whether these emissions present a material risk requiring regulatory controls. Works Approval: W5630/2014/1 File No: DER2014/00653 Template: 1.3 4 Table 5: Risk assessment for proposed amendment during construction Potential Potential Material Reasoning Potential Emissions Potential Pathway Receptors Impacts risk Dust: associated with Riparian vegetation Air: Particulate Smothering of No The Delegated Officer considers that the distance to human receptors is too far for health construction activities within Weeli Wolli matter (dust) vegetation impacts to arise. Creek Pilbara vegetation tends to be well adapted to cope with the impact of dust deposition. The Delegated Officer considers that dust may impact upon plant health but is unlikely to cause the death. Therefore, the Delegated Officer considers that the consequence is insignificant. Cat 5 The Delegated Officer considers that, based on the short term nature of the construction Processing or Construction of Waste activities, adverse impacts on vegetation survival will be rare. beneficiation of Fines Cell 3A Source metallic or non- The Delegated Officer therefore considers the overall risk of dust emissions to be low. metallic ore Noise: associated with N/A Air: Noise N/A No The Delegated Officer notes the lack of sensitive receptors and determines that there is no risk construction activities generated by the of noise impacts operation of vehicles and equipment Table 6: Risk assessment for proposed amendment during operation Potential Potential Material Reasoning Potential Emissions Potential Pathway Receptors Impacts risk Dust: associated with Riparian vegetation Air: Particulate Smothering of No The Delegated Officer considers that the distance to human receptors is too far for health activities from dried within Weeli Wolli matter (dust) vegetation impacts to arise. tailings during Creek operation Pilbara vegetation tends to be well adapted to cope with the impact of dust deposition. The Delegated Officer considers that dust may impact upon plant health but is unlikely to cause the death. Therefore, the Delegated Officer considers that the consequence is insignificant. The Delegated Officer considers that, given the small quantities of dust which may be emitted from the operation the WFC, adverse impacts on vegetation survival will be rare. Cat 5 The Delegated Officer therefore considers the overall risk of dust emissions to be low. Processing or Operation of Waste Fines beneficiation of Waste: associated with Terrestrial N/A Physical No The amendment application states that the design of WFC3A will accommodate inflows Cell 3A overtopping or ecosystems, smothering of resulting from the 12 hour Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) rainfall event in addition to Source metallic or non- metallic ore embankment failure riparian vegetation, the normal operating pond plus a 0.5m total freeboard. leading to the ecosystems, reduction in water discharge of waste surface water quality The Delegated Officer does not consider the potential overtopping or failure of the WFC to fines outside of the quality present a risk to the environment. WFC3A is an in-pit facility meaning that any tailings released WFC containment from it would still be contained by the rest of the JSE pit. From a safety and structural integrity structure. perspective, the Yandicoogina mine site is regulated by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 (MSIA). Tailings pipelines transporting waste fines to WFC3 will be extended to deliver waste fines to WFC3A. These pipelines will be located within the JSE pit and therefore spills or discharges from breaches in the pipeline will not escape into the environment. Works Approval: W5630/2014/1 File No: DER2014/00653 Template: 1.3 5 Potential Potential Material Reasoning Potential Emissions Potential Pathway Receptors Impacts risk Leachate: associated Stygofauna, Land: Infiltration of Health impacts on Yes The amendment application states that the design of WFC3A will incorporate a seepage with seepage from the groundwater leachate groundwater collection system to collect and return water for reuse at the JSE wet plant.