BHP quietly scrapped plan to build Pilbara plant that would have drastically cut emissions

BHP quietly dumped plans for an iron ore processing facility that would have cut emissions drastically, despite internally rating it as having “excellent social value” and being “well-aligned” to its shareholder-endorsed climate plan and decarbonisation targets. In 2025 the mining giant was well advanced in its plans to build a beneficiation plant near its Jimblebar open-cut mine in the Pilbara, which would greatly improve the purity and quality of its iron ore. BHP knew higher quality iron ore was desired by steelmakers across the globe, including in China , where government pressure has forced the industry to reduce its emissions. Using higher quality iron ore is one of the cheapest ways for steelmakers to reduce their emissions. The Jimblebar facility appeared to be a win-win for the miner. The higher quality iron ore would allow it to charge customers a premium and the project was deemed to have a positive return on investment. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email It was estimated the project would reduce scope-three emissions – those released by BHP’s customers – by 1.7m tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking more than 350,000 cars off the road. This is the equivalent of about three-quarters of the entire annual emissions coming from BHP’s vast Western Australian iron ore division, including its mines, trucking fleets and the dirty power generation it uses to feed its inland power grid. …