Copper

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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.

1,716.5 kt

We produced 1,716.5 kt of copper in FY2023..

50

We are extending the life of our Spence mine in Chile by 50 years.

x2

Copper demand will likely double over the next 30 years.

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?

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.

Antamina, Peru

A large, low-cost copper and zinc mine in north-central Peru. It's a joint venture between BHP, Glencore, Teck Resources and Mitsubishi Corporation.

Escondida, Chile

The world’s largest copper mine operated by BHP in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It’s a copper porphyry deposit that also produces gold and silver.

South Australia

Our South Australian operations consist of three primary mine assets (Olympic Dam, Carrapateena and Prominent Hill) containing some of the world's most significant deposits of copper, gold and uranium.

Pampa Norte, Chile

Consisting of two wholly owned operations in northern Chile - Spence and Cerro Colorado - it produces high-quality copper cathodes through leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning processes.

Resolution Copper, Arizona, USA

One of the largest undeveloped copper projects in the world with the potential to become one of the world’s largest and most competitive copper mines.

Meet Yass from Olympic Dam 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:

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: