URANIUM MINES AND MINING – SOUTH AUSTRALIA

BHP plans new tailings storage at Olympic Dam

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 18-Jun-19

BHP will commence work on a sixth tailings dam at its Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine in South Australia in late 2019 if it receives environmental approval from the federal government. BHP has indicated that the new tailings dam is needed to maintain the mine’s current production rate, and for its proposed expansion to up to 350,000 tonnes of copper. BHP recently advised that geological conditions at Olympic Dam mean that the mine’s capacity is more likely to be increased to between 240,000 and 300,000 tonnes.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED

Olympic Dam gains major development status from SA

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 15-Feb-19

BHP is expected to decide in late 2020 whether to proceed with a $2.7 billion expansion of its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in South Australia. The SA government advised on 14 February that any expansion of the mine would be granted major development status. The proposed expansion would see mining and production increase from 200,000 tonnes a year to 350,000 tonnes a year, and would involve an increased take of water from the Great Artesian Basin.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WMC RESOURCES LIMITED, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES

BHP scraps grid-power deal with OZ Minerals

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 22 : 1-Sep-17

OZ Minerals has warned that power costs at its Prominent Hill gold and copper mine could rise by 2-5 per cent from mid-2020. BHP Billiton has advised that it will end an agreement for OZ to access the Olympic Dam mine’s power transmission infrastructure from August 2020. BHP has indicated that the proposed expansion of Olympic Dam will significantly increase the copper and uranium mine’s electricity requirements, forcing OZ Minerals to seek an alternative source of electricity.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, SANDFIRE RESOURCES NL – ASX SFR

Power a risk for Olympic game plan

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Original article by Michael Owen
The Australian – Page: 8 : 2-Nov-16

Mike Henry, the head of BHP Billiton’s iron ore and coal operations in Australia, says the resources giant will not proceed with an open-cut expansion of its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. He adds that BHP may expand the existing underground mine, but he cautions that any further investment may be affected by uncertainty regarding the state’s electricity supply and the cost of electricity. Production at Olympic Dam was disrupted by the state-wide power outage in September 2016.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRANET SA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Miners face $150m hit from blackout

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 4-Oct-16

OZ Minerals has advised that electric power is unlikely to be restored at its Prominent Hill mine in South Australia for at least another week, while its 2016-17 gold production forecast may not be met as a result. The recent state-wide power outage also halted production at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mine and Arrium’s Whyalla steelworks. Meanwhile, the suspension of production at Nyrstar’s lead smelter at Port Pirie is believed to have contributed to a spike in the price of lead on the London Metal Exchange.

CORPORATES
OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ARRIUM LIMITED – ASX ARI, NYRSTAR AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED, KORDA MENTHA AND COLLEAGUES PTY LTD

BHP tunes up Olympic Dam but timing slightly off

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 27-May-16

BHP Billiton will hire an additional 120 workers at its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in South Australia. The resources group intends to expand underground mining at Olympic Dam, with plans to increase copper production from 200,000 tonnes in 2015-16 to 230,000 tonnes in 2020-21. BHP eventually aims to lift annual production to 280,000 tonnes. However, the long-term goal of 450,000 tonnes per annum will depend on the use of heap leaching technology, which is currently being trialled.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP

Olympic expansion years away, says BHP

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Original article by Matt Chambers, Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 17 : 29-Jul-14

The Australian Environment Department has received an application by BHP Billiton, which wants to run a test facility for a new heap leaching process. Its success will be crucial to the expansion of BHP’s Olympic Dam copper and uranium asset in South Australia, which was forecast to cost $A30bn but was abandoned in 2012. BHP notes that even if the trial runs to plan, the upgrade of the mine will not occur before 2020. The proof of concept heap leaching plant will be used for three years from October 2016

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT