BHP Defers $68 Billion in Project Spend, Including Olympic Dam

摘要

Commodities giant BHP Billiton will delay a decision on a planned $20 billion Olympic Dam expansion in Western Australia. The decision follows a 35% drop in annual profits and long-held doubts over the wisdom of the plan (p3). Iranian and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials held talks again Friday, Aug. 24, reportedly centered around the IAEA’s request to access the Iranian Parchin military facility. The talks come ahead of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Tehran next week for the Non-Aligned Movement summit. But the New York Times, citing a forthcoming IAEA report, said that Iran had added “up to 1,000” new centrifuges, detracting from any optimism over the diplomatic activity. The newspaper also said the IAEA report indicates that Iran is increasingly focused on enriching to a level of 20%, and that the additional centrifuges are almost all installed at the underground Fordow facility.