Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO): an iron ore operation in Australia

Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) is an integrated mine and processing complex producing iron ore in Pilbara region, Western Australia (Newman, Jimblebar, Mining Area C, South Flank and Yandi hubs; Port Hedland), Australia, operated by BHP. The sources report 291,164 thousand tonnes (kt), saleable product, wet metric tonnes (wmt) for FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026); the basis is 100% of WAIO (Total (100%) row), as reported by the operator. Measured as usable ore, whole-operation output for FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026) is 291,164,000 tonnes: about 11% of world iron ore output in 2025 and about 30% of Australia's; it is one of 21 operations on this site whose output can be stated in usable ore.

Who owns and operates it?

Owners of Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO)
Owner	Interest	As of
BHP (operator) BHP holds 85% of each of the four main joint ventures (Mt Newman, Yandi, Mt Goldsworthy and Jimblebar) and 65% of POSMAC, which sells its ore to the Mt Goldsworthy joint venture. The Form 20-F (printed pp.165-168) names the other holders: Mitsui-ITOCHU Iron (10%) and ITOCHU Minerals and Energy of Australia (5%) in the Newman joint venture; ITOCHU (8%) and a Mitsui entity (7%) in each of the Yandi, Mt Goldsworthy and Jimblebar joint ventures; and, in POSMAC, ITOCHU (8%), Mitsui Iron Ore Corporation (7%) and POS-Ore (20%).	85%	30 June 2026

Interests are as stated in the sources below on the date shown. Ownership changes with deals, so a stake may have changed since the date shown.

How much does it produce?

Reported output of Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO)
Period	Output	Basis	Where in the source
FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026)	291,164 thousand tonnes (kt), saleable product, wet metric tonnes (wmt) BHP prints 291 Mt (100% basis) in the commentary.	100% of WAIO (Total (100%) row), as reported by the operator	printed p.10, 'Iron ore' table, WAIO, Australia, row 'Total (100%)', full-year column ending Jun 2026; headline on printed p.4 · BHP
FY2025 (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025)	289,988 thousand tonnes (kt), saleable product, wet metric tonnes (wmt)	100% of WAIO (Total (100%) row), as reported by the operator	printed p.10, same row, full-year column ending Jun 2025 · BHP
FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026)	256,877 thousand tonnes (kt), saleable product, wet metric tonnes (wmt) The total of the four joint venture rows, in which the Jimblebar row is presented on a 100% basis (footnote 1), so the total is not a pure 85% share.	BHP interest, as printed in the 'Total' row	printed p.10, WAIO, Australia, row 'Total', full-year column ending Jun 2026; also Form 20-F printed p.191, Total Western Australia Iron Ore · BHP

Between FY2025 (Jul 2024 to Jun 2025) and FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026) the reported figure rose by 0.4%, in the same unit and on the same basis.

How the usable-ore figure is worked out. BHP prints 291,164 thousand tonnes for WAIO on a 100% basis in its operational review for the year ended 30 June 2026. BHP says iron ore production is reported as saleable product in wet metric tonnes for WAIO. World mine production of usable ore in 2025 was 2,600,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); Australia produced 980,000,000 tonnes.

The period (FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026)) is not the calendar year of the USGS totals (2025), so the shares are approximate.

Status: operating, as of 30 June 2026.

BHP prints production by joint venture at its 85% interest, except Jimblebar, which is presented at 100%: Newman Joint Venture 52,681 kt, Area C Joint Venture 129,026 kt, Yandi Joint Venture 12,590 kt, Jimblebar 62,580 kt (FY2026). Only the whole-system 100% total is used for the content figure, so no hub is counted twice.
BHP's annual report names five mining hubs (Newman, Jimblebar, Mining Area C, South Flank and Yandi) and four processing hubs (Newman, Yandi, Mining Area C and Jimblebar). It describes the Mining Area C processing hub as handling ore from Area C and South Flank (Form 20-F, printed pp.19 and 207).
The annual report says Yandi production has decreased significantly and that closure and decommissioning of infrastructure at Yandi are in progress (Form 20-F, printed p.209).

How does it compare?

Other iron ore operations on this site: Hamersley mines (Rio Tinto Pilbara), Hope Downs (Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting), Robe River - Robe Valley, Robe River - West Angelas, Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), Simandou Blocks 3 and 4 (SimFer), Fortescue Pilbara hematite operations, Iron Bridge (magnetite), Onslow Iron, Serra Sul (S11D), Carajas, Serra Norte, Carajas, Itabira complex. In Australia: Hamersley mines (Rio Tinto Pilbara), Hope Downs (Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting), Robe River - Robe Valley, Robe River - West Angelas, Fortescue Pilbara hematite operations, Iron Bridge (magnetite), Onslow Iron. See where iron ore comes from for the country totals, the country page for Australia, and BHP for its other operations here.

Sources

BHP: Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 30 June 2026 (annual report (SEC Form 20-F), FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026)). Opened 4 November 2026; used: printed pp.19, 191, 207, 209 (Item 4 iron ore and property disclosure); company details; also printed pp.165-168, 208-209.
BHP: Operational review for the year ended 30 June 2026 (production report (SEC Form 6-K, 16 July 2026), FY2026 (Jul 2025 to Jun 2026) with FY2025 comparatives). Opened 4 November 2026; used: printed pp.4, 10.
U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Iron Ore (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production of usable ore)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table, usable ore.

Method and limits

Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
Shares. A share divides output in usable ore by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
What is compared. Operators print tonnes of ore: saleable production for most, run-of-mine and pelletizing feed for Vale, and shipments for Fortescue and Onslow Iron, mostly as wet tonnes. The figure is compared with the USGS usable-ore total, which does not state a moisture basis, so the share is indicative.
Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every iron ore mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
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