BHP will work closely with the South Australian Government as it looks to more than double its copper production in the state by the mid-2030s.
The major miner plans to build a second copper smelter at its Olympic Dam operation, complementing its existing infrastructure at the site.
The company hopes this will enable it to reach 650,000 tonnes of South Australian copper cathode production by the middle of next decade, a significant jump from the 322,000 tonnes produced in the 2023–24 financial year (FY24).
The State Government declared BHP’s planned smelter expansion an ‘impact assessed development’ meaning the company will now enter a robust consultation and decision-making process and need to make a strong case for the project.
The assessment processes that come with impact assessed developments allow for the highest level of scrutiny under South Australian law.
BHP’s asset president copper South Australia Anna Wiley said it was an exciting time for the state’s copper industry.
“Today’s announcement is an important step for BHP and the South Australian Government as we work together towards our shared ambition to significantly increase copper production in this state,” she said.
“We are already growing BHP’s copper production in South Australia with projects and studies underway at all of our operating sites, and we’re moving at pace to potentially double our current production by the middle of the next decade.”
Alongside its Olympic Dam mine, known for holding a massive resource, BHP will look to further leverage its Prominent Hill and Carrapateena mines as part of the expansion.
The Oak Dam project is also waiting in the wings, boasting an inferred mineral resource of 1.34 billion tonnes at 0.66 per cent copper.
BHP plans to make a final investment decision on the expansion project in the first half of FY27.
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