BHP to invest over AUD840 million at Olympic Dam in South Australia

BHP Group Ltd on Wednesday said it is investing to boost Olympic Dam operations in South Australia.

The Melbourne, Australia-based diversified miner said it is investing over AUD840 million, USD554.5 million, in growth-enabling projects to strengthen the foundations of underground mining productivity and continue building its copper province in the far north of South Australia.

The investment funds several key projects, such as an underground access tunnel known as a decline, into the Southern Mine area, which provides access to a new section of the resource.

Furthermore, a new backfill system will deliver paste fill via underground pipes to new areas of the mine.

BHP's investment will provide for the installation of a new oxygen plant to improve smelter performance and support increased copper processing capability.

BHP Chief Operating Officer Edgar Bastco said: "BHP is the largest producer of copper in the world, and we expect to grow our copper base from 1.7 million tonnes to around 2.5 million tonnes per annum.

"Achieving that scale requires significant copper growth, and we are fortunate to have a world-class copper province right here in South Australia to do just that."

BHP's Copper SA is a copper province in the far north of South Australia and has three underground mines at Olympic Dam. It has a workforce of around 8,000 people and produced 316,000 tonnes of copper in the last financial year.

Anna Wiley, BHP Asset president Copper SA, said: "We are standing at the edge of a generational opportunity to unlock transformational copper growth in South Australia. By continuing to work together across government and industry, we can capture that opportunity and achieve our shared vision to increase Australian copper production.

"Copper SA is already on the global map, and as the race intensifies to secure copper for the energy transition and growth in data centres, we are well positioned to supply more of what the world needs."