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

Leaked internal documents from the BHP Files investigation by The Guardian and Four Corners reveal that global mining firm BHP scrapped its 2025 plan to build an iron ore beneficiation plant at its Jimblebar Pilbara mine, a project that would have cut annual scope 3 emissions by 1.7 million tonnes and aligned with its public decarbonization targets, citing marginal economics as the reason for cancellation. The shelved project is one of multiple low-emission initiatives BHP has delayed or abandoned, raising questions about the effectiveness of Australia's Safeguard Mechanism climate policy for industrial polluters.