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Copper
Copper is essential to life and our modern society.
What is copper?
Copper is a pinkish-orange metal that is used in a broad range of everyday household products. It’s an excellent conductor of electricity and is corrosion resistant and antimicrobial, meaning it can prevent the growth of bacteria.
Recyclable
Almost all copper products can be recycled, making it one of the most recycled metals in the world.
Natural
Copper occurs naturally in human, animals and plants, and is vital to maintaining good health.
Electric vehicles
Electric vehicles use four times as much copper as petrol-based cars.
A household necessity
The average Australian home contains 90kg of copper – from wiring, to your pipes and appliances.
Where is copper used?
Construction
Copper is commonly used across both residential and industrial construction.
Infrastructure
It is used throughout infrastructure, including power grids and traffic lights.
Transportation
Copper is used in cars, aircraft and trains.
Household products
Everyday household products like air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs and microwaves all contain copper.
Smartphones
Your smartphone can contain up to 20g of copper.
Power sector
Copper is used by the power sector in distribution lines, generators and transformers.
Why does BHP mine copper?
As we move towards a lower carbon future, copper is essential to creating the infrastructure needed for renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. We also believe the demand for copper will continue to grow due to grade declines at existing copper mines, the radical urbanisation of large populations in China and India, and the ongoing electrification of energy and transportation.Where is copper found?
Copper is found all over the world. We own and operate several copper mines in Chile, South Australia, and a proposed mine located in Arizona, US.
Meet Yass from Olympic Dam
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Think copper
Copper is used in a range of technologies, especially renewables. As Yass from our Olympic Dam mine says, copper will be a huge part of our future.
How is copper mined?
There are two way to mine copper, depending on where the ore body is located.
In our Escondida mine in Chile, the copper is relatively close to the surface, which means it can be mined via open cut. The process looks like this:
In our Escondida mine in Chile, the copper is relatively close to the surface, which means it can be mined via open cut. The process looks like this:
At Olympic Dam in South Australia, the ore body is located much deeper below the earth's surface. There, we operate an underground mine, following this method:
