BHP’s Copper SA business has announced a collaboration with Aurizon to implement an integrated rail, road and port logistics solution for its copper operations in South Australia through four contracts, valued at approximately A$1.5bn ($972.4m).
BHP’s Olympic Dam, Carrapateena and Prominent Hill mines will benefit from the new logistics strategy, which entails shifting the transport of copper concentrate and cathode, as well as other inbound freight, to rail between Pimba and Port Adelaide.
South Australian company Symons Clark Logistics, a long-standing BHP transport partner, has been subcontracted by Aurizon to manage the road transport component from Pimba to the mine sites.
BHP Asset president Copper SA Anna Wiley said: “This is Copper SA’s most significant logistics arrangement since the asset’s formation. The shift to more rail transport will improve road safety, lower emissions, create local business opportunities and deliver significant synergies for our business.
“By value, BHP’s copper cathode is South Australia’s largest single export. This partnership forms a critical link between our operations in the state’s far north and our path to market at the Port of Adelaide. It is about delivering South Australian resources to the world.”
This collaboration underscores the operational synergy following the OZ Minerals transaction and represents the most transformative shift in Copper SA’s logistics since its inception.
The transition to an integrated logistics solution is set to replace approximately 13 million kilometres of annual truck movements.
This equates to more than 11,000 fewer truck movements on South Australian roads each year, which will contribute to significant improvements in road safety, reduced regional congestion and a substantial decrease in emissions throughout the state.
The global demand for copper is projected to surge by around 70% by 2050, fuelled by the growth in traditional copper applications, the shift towards electric vehicles and renewable energy, and the expansion of data centres.
Aurizon CEO Andrew Harding said: “Aurizon is thrilled to partner with BHP Copper SA on this integrated rail, road and port logistics package, and to support over the next decade one of the Australia’s most significant resource operations.
“As Australia’s largest rail freight business, we see a big growth opportunity in south Australia, especially with future-facing commodities such as copper that play such a critical role in the global energy transition.”
In a related development, Endolith recently achieved a breakthrough in copper extraction from low-grade sulphide ores, demonstrating a marked increase in copper recovery rates.
The testing, a collaborative effort with BHP’s innovation arm, Think & Act Differently and facilitated by Unearthed, revealed that Endolith’s microbes surpassed traditional heap leaching methods.
