Mine Production

摘要

On 19~(th) October, BHP Billiton declared force majeure on a number of copper cathode supply contracts from its Olympic Dam underground mine in Australia, following a major mechanical failure in the Clarke Shaft on 5~(th) October. On 21~(st) October, BHP Billiton confirmed that production was likely to be 25 percent of capacity until around March 2010. Most of the copper cathode production at Olympic Dam is through an integrated concentrate mine and smelter-refinery operation, which produced 182,000t of electro-refined copper cathodes in 2008. The mine also produces a small amount of SXEW copper cathodes (13,000t in 2008). Production of both will be affected and CRU currently forecasts the full year 2009 production will be 143,000t of electro-refined copper cathodes and 10,000t SXEW copper cathodes. 2010 production is forecast to be 155,000t of electro-refined copper cathodes and 10,000t of SXEW copper cathodes. BHP Billiton has not yet established the full scale of the damage so these figures are subject to change.