Environmental Review Document West Angelas Iron Ore Project Deposit C, D and G Proposal July 2018 EPA Assessment No. 2132 RTIO-HSE-0311321 Robe River Mining Co. Pty. Ltd. 152-158 St Georges Terrace, Perth GPO Box A42, Perth, WA 6837 Disclaimer and Limitation This report has been prepared by Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Group (Rio Tinto), on behalf of Robe River Mining Co. Pty. Ltd. (the Proponent), specifically for the West Angelas Iron Ore Project. Neither the report nor its contents may be referred to without the express approval of Rio Tinto, unless the report has been released for referral and assessment of proposals. Document Status Approved for Issue Rev Author Reviewer/s Date To Whom Date R. Austen, P. Knott, B. Dalton, A – B C. Nixon 8-May-17 J. Symmons, WA CDG Study Team. C C. Nixon P. Royce, T. Savage 24-May-17 C. Richards, H. Scott, EPA 1 C. Nixon 8-Jun-17 7-Jul-17 F. Sinclair Services EPA 2 C. Nixon T. Savage, H. Scott 27-Nov-17 1-Dec-17 Services EPA 3 J. Neiman H. Scott 12-Apr-18 13-Apr-18 Services EPA 4 J. Neiman - 14-May-18 15-May-18 Services EPA 5 J. Neiman - 6-Jul-18 6-Jul-18 Services EPA 6 J. Neiman - 20-Jul-18 20-Jul-18 Services Public FINAL J. Neiman - 20-Jul-18 30-Jul-18 Review INVITATION TO MAKE A SUBMISSION The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) invites people to make a submission on the environmental review for this Proposal. Both electronic and hard copy submissions are most welcome. Robe River Mining Co. Pty. Limited proposes to develop the West Angelas Deposits C, D and G, located approximately 130 kilometres (km) west of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. This Environmental Review Document has been prepared in accordance with the EPAs Environmental Impact Assessment (Part IV Divisions 1 and 2) Administrative Procedures 2016 and Environmental Impact Assessment (Divisions 1 and 2) Procedures Manual 2016. The Environmental Review Document is the report prepared by the Proponent which describes this Proposal and its likely effects on the environment. The Environmental Review Document is available for a public review period of eight (8) weeks from 30th July 2018 closing on 24th September 2018. Comments from government agencies and from the public will help the EPA to prepare an assessment report in which it will make recommendations to the Minister for Environment. Why write a submission? The EPA seeks information that will inform the EPAs consideration of the likely effect of this Proposal, if implemented, on the environment. A submission is a way to provide relevant new information that is not in the Environmental Review Document, express your opinion or put forward alternative courses of action or approaches. In preparing its assessment report for the Minister for Environment, the EPA will consider the information in submissions, the Proponent’s responses and other relevant information. All submissions received by the EPA will be acknowledged. Submissions will be treated as public documents (unless provided in confidence) subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 1992, and may be quoted in full or in part in the EPAs report. Why not join a group? It may be worthwhile joining a group interested in making a submission on similar issues. Joint submissions may help to reduce the workload for an individual or group, as well as increase the pool of ideas and information. If you form a small group (up to 10 people) please indicate all the names of the participants. If your group is larger, please indicate how many people your submission represents. Developing a submission You may agree or disagree with, or comment on, information in the Environmental Review Document. It helps if you give reasons for your conclusions, supported by relevant data. You may make an important contribution by suggesting ways to make the Proposal more environmentally acceptable. When making comments on specific elements of the Environmental Review Document: Clearly state your point of view and give reasons for your conclusions; Indicate the source of your information or argument if this is applicable; and Suggest recommendations or alternatives. West Angelas - Deposits C, D and G Proposal What to include in your submission Include the following in your submission to make it easier for the EPA to consider your submission: Your contact details – name and address. Date of your submission. Whether you want your contact details to be confidential. Summary of your submission, if your submission is long. List points so that issues raised are clear, preferably by environmental factor. Refer each point to the appropriate section, chapter or recommendation in the Environmental Review Document. If you discuss different sections of the Environmental Review Document, keep them distinct and separate, so there is no confusion as to which section you are considering. Attach any reference material, if applicable. Make sure your information is accurate. Information in submissions will be deemed public information unless a request for confidentiality of the submission is made in writing and accepted by the EPA. As a result, a copy of each submission will be provided to the Proponent but the identity of private individuals will remain confidential to the EPA. The closing date for submissions is: 24th September 2018 The EPA prefers submissions to be made electronically via the EPAs Consultation Hub at https://consultation.epa.wa.gov.au. Alternatively, submissions can be Posted to: Chairman, Environmental Protection Authority, Locked Bag 33, Cloisters Square, PERTH WA 6850; or Delivered to: Environmental Protection Authority, Level 4, The Atrium, 168 St George’s Terrace, PERTH WA 6000. If you have any questions on how to make a submission, please contact EPA Services at the Department of Water and Environmenal Regulation on 6364 7000. West Angelas - Deposits C, D and G Proposal EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Robe River Mining Co. Pty. Limited (Robe, the Proponent) operates the existing West Angelas Iron Ore Mine, located approximately 130 kilometres (km) west of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Additional ore sources are required to sustain current production from the existing West Angelas Iron Ore Mine as the existing approved resources are exhausted. Robe proposes to develop Deposits C, D and G (the Proposal), located adjacent to the existing operations. Existing West Angelas Iron Ore Mine The existing West Angelas Operations is subject to the Iron Ore (Robe River) Agreement Act 1964 (WA). The existing West Angelas Operations, as approved under the existing Ministerial Statement 970 and Ministerial Statement 1015, currently consists of: Clearing of up to 7,890 hectares (ha) within the existing 22,600 ha Development Envelope. Open cut above and below water table mining of iron ore from Deposits A, A west, B, E and F, by conventional drill, blast, and load and haul techniques. Ore processing in central processing facilities at approximately 35 Million tonnes per annum (Mt/a). Surface waste dumps which are used in backfilling of the pits as far as practicable. Infrastructure including but not limited to the following: o Dewatering and surplus water management infrastructure, including the Turee Creek B Borefield, which provides potable water to the mine and accommodation village (and, when required, water for operational purposes), and the mine dewatering borefield which supports below water table mining. Dewatering water is used onsite in the first instance to supply water for operational purposes. Surplus dewatering water that exceeds operational water requirement is discharged to a local ephemeral tributary of Turee Creek East; o Surface water management infrastructure, including diversions, to direct surface water flows around deposits; o Linear infrastructure, including the mine access road, which links the mine site with the Great Northern Highway, and the rail network which transports processed ore to port facilities located at Cape Lambert; o Processing facilities; and o Support facilities, including the West Angelas accommodation village. Description of the Proposal This Proposal is a revision to the existing West Angelas Iron Ore Project. This Proposal includes the following: Additional clearing of up to 4,310 ha. Extension of the existing Development Envelope(s) by 4,100 ha. Above and below water table mining of additional Deposits C, D and G including: pits, waste dumps, stockpiles, and supporting infrastructure (including, but is not West Angelas - Deposits C, D and G Proposal Executive Summary limited to, dewatering and surplus water management infrastructure, surface water management infrastructure, linear infrastructure, processing and support facilities). Ore will be transported from the proposed deposits to existing central processing facilities. The existing rail network will transport mined and processed ore from the Proposal to existing port operations at Cape Lambert. Deposits C and D are approximately 30% and 50% below water table respectively and will require dewatering to access the below water table resource. Dewatering water from Deposits C and D will be used to supply local operational water demand in the first instance. Surplus dewatering water that exceeds the local operational water requirement will be transferred to the existing operations to supply operational water demand and / or discharged into the Turee Creek East tributary (aligned with the existing West Angelas Project integrated water management strategy). Below water table pits will be backfilled to prevent post-closure exposure of the groundwater table and the formation of permanent pit lakes. Table ES1: Summary of Proposal Project Title West Angelas Iron Ore Project – Deposit C, D and G Proposal Proponent Name Robe River Mining Co. Pty. Ltd. This Proposal is a revision of the existing West Angelas Iron Ore Project and includes the above and below water table, open-cut iron ore mining from additional deposits and the construction and operation of associated infrastructure including, but not limited to, the following: dewatering and surplus water management infrastructure, surface water management infrastructure, linear infrastructure, processing and support facilities.