Chichester Metals Pty Ltd (Chichester Metals), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue Ltd (Fortescue), proposes to develop the Mindy South Iron Ore Mine (Proposed Action), a large tonnage iron ore mine located predominantly within the Mindy Mindy Creek catchment in the Hamersley Range, in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. The deposit is located in the headwaters of Mindy Mindy Creek, approximately 55 km north-north-west of Newman, 70 km south of Fortescue’s Cloudbreak Iron Ore Mine and 170 km south east of Tom Price. The regional location of the Proposed Action is shown in Attachment 1, Figure 1–1 (Project Location) p. 2.

The deposit will support a 40 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) mining operation with a Life of Mine (LoM) including a combined construction, operation and decommissioning phase of approximately 20 years. Ore will be mined via open cut methods, above and below the water table with ore processed on-site before transport by rail to Port Hedland via the proposed East Hamersley Railway. The East Hamersley Railway remains the subject of a separate Proposed Action and the proponent is The Pilbara Infrastructure Pty Ltd (TPI), another wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue.

The Proposed Action is located within a 42,331 ha Proposed Action Area and it's implementation will require clearing of up to 12,487 hectare (ha) of native vegetation. The Proposed Action Area illustrated in Attachment 1, Figure 2–1 (Project Location) p. 7, mirrors the Mine Development Envelope (MDE) defined for referral of the Proposal under Western Australian Part IV Environmental Protection Act, 1986. The Proposed Action includes:

• The development of above and below water table (AWT/BWT) Open Cut Pits.
• Ore Processing Facility, to process ore from sources within the Proposed Action Area and from other mining projects.
• Storage of process waste (tailings) in an above ground Tailings Storage Facility, integrated waste landform and / or in-pit disposal.
• Ore, topsoil and subsoil stockpiles.
• Mine waste management including, but not limited to, waste rock landforms, in-pit storage, waste fines and low-grade ore stockpiles.
• Groundwater abstraction for water supply and to facilitate mining below the water table (mine dewatering). 
• Aquifer supplementation, for the purpose of mitigating impacts to environmental receptors.
• Surplus water management and associated infrastructure (options include but are not limited to, aquifer supplementation, mine water use, aquifer re-injection, infiltration using in-pit disposal or ponds).
• Water supply sourced from third-party supplier and from other Fortescue sites.
• Supply of water to third party receiver and other Fortescue sites.
• Linear and ancillary infrastructure to support mining, including but not limited to mine access road, accommodation camp, aerodrome, power reticulation, access roads, pipelines, Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTP), offices and workshops. 
• Renewable energy infrastructure, including solar. Post-construction, the Proposed Action's power supply will align with Fortescue's decarbonisation goals, ‘real zero by 2030’ and be provided by a solar and renewable mix via Fortescue's Pilbara Energy Conect (PEC) network.

Pipeline corridors within and outside the Proposed Action Area will facilitate transfer of water supply, whether it is sourced from a third-party supplier, or other Fortescue site, or supplied to a third-party or other Fortescue site. Construction of pipelines and pipeline connections are included within the Indicative Disturbance Footprint (IDF), however pipelines outside of the Proposed Action Area, i.e. to third-party or other Fortescue sites, does not form part of this Proposed Action.

The referred East Hamersley Railway (EPBC 2023/09542) will connect the Proposed Action with Fortescue’s existing Mainline Railway, allowing the transport of ore to Port Hedland. An extension of the original East Hamersley Rail Proposed Action to Mindy South, will be sought via an application under s156 of the EPBC Act. The railway, transmission power line, pipeline and other infrastructure associated with the railway corridor are not part of this referral. 

Refer to Attachment 1, Section 2.4 (Exclusions), p. 8−9, for a high level summary of the East Hamersley Railway Proposed Action. 

The relative locations of the referred East Hamersley Railway and the Nyidinghu Iron Ore Mine (EPBC 2023/09543) Proposed Actions, to the Proposed Action subject to this referral, are shown in Attachment 2, Figure 1. 

Note that a full reference list is provided for sources cited within this referral form, in Attachment 1, Section 18 (References), pp. 146-151. Sources are not ‘external sources’ and predominatly comprise unpublished grey literature and therefore cannot be uploaded via the ‘Attach Links' function.