Background BHP Iron Ore Pty Ltd is one of the major iron ore producers in
the Pilbara Region of North Western Australia. The company
manages three separate joint ventures; the Newman, Goldsworthy
and Yandi joint ventures and two 100 per cent owned operations,
Yampi and Jimblebar. The Newman operations constitute a mine site at Newman and
a 426 km railroad to Port Hedland where there is an ore
processing/port site. The Goldsworthy operations currently
constitute a mine site at Shay Gap/Nimingarra, a developing mine
site at Yarrie, a decommissioned mine site at Goldsworthy and an
ore processing/port site at Finucane Island (Port Hedland). The
Yandi operations include mining and processing facilities at site
and a spur line to join the Newman Hedland railroad. Jimblebar
operations are scree and bedrock mining near Newman and
include mining, processing and a spur line to Newman where it
joins the Newman-Hedland railroad. The Yampi operations
constitute a mine/port site at Koolan Island (which is presently
being decommissioned). The combined BHP Iron Ore operations
produce approximately 46 Mtpa of iron ore. This paper will
concentrate on the processes developed and applied for the
decommissioning of the Goldsworthy site. The Goldsworthy site is on the northern boundary of the
Pilbara Region and adjacent to the western extremity of the Great
Sandy Desert. It is located approximately 110 km east of Port
Hedland (see Figure 1). The area is generally of low relief with
isolated low ranges. The mine site being within the Mount
Goldsworthy range area. The geology of the area is essentially
Archaean granite with Archaean banded iron formation becoming
dominant within the ranges. The chief soils are hard alkaline red soils. The vegetation is
essentially shrub steppe with the main hummock grass species
being spinifex (Triodia sp). The climate for the region is semi
arid tropical. The temperature ranges from a mean low of 15C
in winter to a mean high of 40 in summer. Rainfall is episodic,
occurring mainly throughout the summer as a result of tropical
depressions or cyclonic activity. The average annual rainfall is
approximately 300 mm and annual evaporation may exceed
rainfall by up to 2500 mm. Goldsworthy Mining Ltd commissioned the Goldsworthy site
in 1965/66. Goldsworthy was the first iron ore operation and
associated town site in the Pilbara region. The mine development
peaked in 1977 with the town population reaching 1400 people.
In 1982 mining ceased and the mining operations were relocated
to Shay Gap, 80 km east of Goldsworthy. The Goldsworthy town
continued as the base for the railing operations between Finucane
Island and Shay Gap. BHP Minerals acquired Goldsworthy
Mining Limited in 1990. The population for the town of
Goldsworthy at this stage was around 450 people. An assessment
of the Goldsworthy site operations concluded that it was
uneconomic to continue the operation of the site. The decision
was made to transfer the base for railing operations to Port