Reuters reported that Key facts about BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine in southern Australia which will not return to full capacity until the March quarter of 2010 after its main shaft was damaged following the derailing of a hauling system.
Size and Location
1. Olympic Dam is the world's fourth largest copper deposit, the largest known uranium deposit and the fifth largest gold deposit.
2. Olympic Dam produced 194,000 tonnes of copper and 4,000 tonnes of uranium in the year ended June 30th 2009.
3. Located 560 kilometers north of the south Australian city of Adelaide, it is Australia's largest underground mine.
4. The site comprises ore zones spread over several square kilometers and ranging in depth from 350 meters to 1 kilometer.
Production Process
. Copper concentrate produced from the mine is fed to a smelter at the site that produces blister copper before being further refined into copper cathodes. The slimes from this process are treated separately to recover gold and silver.
Expansion Plan
BHP plans to expand the mine progressively over 11 years. The expansion project is still awaiting government approvals and a final investment decision.
