At our Western Australia Iron Ore Port Hedland operations, we acknowledge our responsibility to our community and regulators to continuously improve our air quality performance. We continue to work closely with government, industry and the local community to further improve air quality controls at our operations and for the communities where we operate. We want to help improve local amenity while also continuing to provide jobs and economic opportunity for the region.  

As announced in April 2020, BHP committed A$300 million to the Pilbara Air Quality Program over a five-year period to demonstrate our commitment to improving air quality. This includes the continued implementation and optimisation of operational dust control projects across our entire Pilbara supply chain, and improvements across our existing controls at our mines and port. Specific program deliverables also include:  

The LEAF project: A partnership between BHP and Greening Australia, the LEAF (Leaf Enhanced Air Filtration) project aims to mitigate airborne dust and improve aesthetics in the West End district of Port Hedland, Western Australia. 150,000 local native plants, specifically chosen to maximise dust capture, were planted to create a vegetation buffer that enhances the visual appeal of the area and is designed to reduce dust levels. In total, the vegetation barrier covers seven hectares and spans approximately 2.3 kilometres.  

The project involved engagement and collaboration with the town of Port Hedland, Curtin University, Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation, IBN Services (a First Nations business, which provided plants for the trial), Yurra (part-owned by Yindjibarndi People, contracted to manage the ground works), local community groups and other stakeholders, through regular communication, consultation and participation in project activities and events. Planting for the project is expected to be complete in December 2024, with ongoing monitoring and irrigation until the vegetation is established.  

Installation of wind fences: In FY2024, BHP completed installation of three wind fences at BHP’s Port Hedland operations. Wind fences have been proven to significantly reduce the potential for dust lift-off from ore stockpiles. Designed for the Pilbara’s unique weather conditions and rated specifically to withstand cyclones, the fences include mesh panels designed to reduce wind speeds, shielding BHP’s stockpiles and reducing the potential for dust lift-off. The fences will abate dust emissions in current operations and have been constructed to consider potential future expansions.