Olympic Dam mine
Main shafts, 2009
|
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Olympic Dam |
| State |
 South Australia
|
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 30°26′40″S 136°52′00″E / 30.44444°S 136.86667°ECoordinates: 30°26′40″S 136°52′00″E / 30.44444°S 136.86667°E |
| Production | |
| Products |
copper uranium gold silver |
| History | |
| Opened | 1988 |
| Owner | |
| Company | BHP Billiton |
| Year of acquisition | 2005 |
The Olympic Dam mine is a large poly-metallic underground mine located in South Australia, 550 km NNW of Adelaide. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world, although copper is the largest contributor to total revenue. Approximately 70% of the mine's revenue comes from copper, 25% from uranium, and the remainder from silver and gold.BHP Billiton has owned and operated the mine since 2005. The mine was previously owned by Western Mining Corporation.
Since it opened in 1988, an extensive underground mine, an integrated metallurgical processing plant and expansive open-air tailings storage facilities have been constructed. The adjacent Olympic Dam mining centre and the nearby township of Roxby Downs service the mine and accommodate its workforce. Daily flights to and from Adelaide are provided via the Olympic Dam Airport.
BHP Billiton planned to expand the mine by establishing a new open cut pit and building extensive supporting infrastructure. In 2012 the expansion was postponed indefinitely pending investigation of a "new and cheaper design". As of 2013, Olympic Dam is the second largest uranium-producing mine in the world, having produced 4,100 tonnes in the financial year ending June 2013. The only larger producer is the MacArthur River uranium mine in Canada.
In 1979 a joint venture partnership was established between WMC Resources and BP Minerals with the intention of establishing the mine. Three years later, the Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) Act 1982 was signed, creating a legal framework for the development to proceed. The first shaft was constructed that year, and named the Whenan Shaft after Ted Whenan, one of the exploration drillers who discovered the ore body. The new municipality of Roxby Downs was also created in 1982, as an intended service centre and community hub for the mine workers and their families. In 1983, the mine's first Environmental Impact Statement was approved, authorising copper production of up to 150,000 tonnes per annum. Over a decade would pass before this production target was achieved.
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