Our commitment to the environment
We are committed to striving for excellence in environmental management in all aspects of our organisation. We are dedicated to mitigating environmental impacts within the local area and across the broader region whilst ensuring we are developing our operation in a sustainably responsible manner. We have a dedicated team of Environmental Professionals who are constantly monitoring our environmental footprint and drive important initiatives aimed at protecting the local surroundings, plus the flora, fauna and people who inhabit the area.​
Environmental initiative highlights
Dust suppression trials
In late 2023, dust suppression trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a citrus oil-based product in our watercarts. Chosen for its eco-friendliness and biodegradability, the citrus oil aims to enhance dust particle density and have a prolonged effectiveness on surfaces despite mining activities such as grading and dozing. Trials were conducted on major haul roads onsite. These trials appear promising, with a noticeable visual reduction in airborne dust and a significant decrease in water usage, equating to 3-4 fewer water cart loads per day. Trials will continue in 2024 after the wet season and we will potentially explore another citrus powder based dust suppressant product that offers wider application across various surface types.
Reuse of benign waste rock to construct the Tailings Storage Facility
Approximately 49 Mt of benign waste rock was used in Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) wall construction. The design of the wall of the TSF requires specific material properties to ensure the long-term stability and safety of the structure. Rock needs to be primarily unweathered and relatively small (<1m) to allow for compaction of the dam wall
Reducing usage from our water trucks
The efficiency of our water trucks became a focal point of our investigations into ways to reduce water consumption. Our team identified that the angles of the spray heads on our water trucks were causing water to drift away from the truck footprint. To reduce the percentage of water drift, the angles of the left spray heads of our truck were adjusted to ensure that water streams were better aligned with the truck footprint. Given the adjustment, we can now operate our water trucks with only one active spray head, and we have introduced operational practices to ensure that both heads are only activated when necessary. The adjustment has doubled the cycle time of our water trucks.
