Facility

Pilbara Iron Ore Region Water Network (BHP/Rio Tinto/Fortescue, Western Australia)

The Pilbara region of Western Australia hosts the world's largest iron ore mining district (BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue — collectively ~900 million tonnes/year, ~40% of global seaborne iron ore). Unlike copper or gold mining, iron ore mining is relatively 'dry' — beneficiation requires minimal water because high-grade direct shipping ore (DSO) does not require flotation or hydrometallurgical processing. However, the Pilbara's slurry pipelines, dust suppression, and camp infrastructure still require significant water. More critically, deeper mining requiring ore processing (as surface-rich DSO grades decline) will require water that is currently scarce and contested by Aboriginal communities with native title rights over Pilbara water. Rio Tinto's destruction of Juukan Gorge caves (2020) was a flashpoint that elevated scrutiny of all Rio Tinto resource access claims in Pilbara indigenous heritage areas — including water. Source: https://www.riotinto.com/operations/australia/pilbara