Page 275 - Annual Report 2020

Minerals Americas

Copper mining operations
The following table contains additional details of our mining operations. This table should be read in conjunction with the production table Strategic Report
(refer to section 6.3.1) and reserves table (refer to section 6.4.2).
Mine & Means Title, leases Mine type & Facilities,
location of access Ownership Operator or options History mineralisation style Power source use & condition
Escondida
Atacama Private road BHP 57.5% BHP Mining Original 2 open-cut pits: Escondida-owned 3 concentrator
Desert available for Rio Tinto 30% concession construction Escondida and transmission plants extract
170 km public use JECO from Chilean completed Escondida Norte lines connect to copper concentrate
southeast of Copper Corporation Government in 1990 Escondida Chile’s northern from sulphide
Antofagasta, cathode consortium valid indefinitely Start of and Escondida power grid ore by flotation
Chile transported by comprising (subject to operations Norte mineral Electricity extraction process
privately Mitsubishi, payment of of the third deposits are sourced from 2 solvent extraction
owned rail to JX Nippon Mining annual fees) concentrator adjacent but external vendors and electrowinning Governance at BHP
ports at and Metals 10% plant in 2015 distinct supergene and Tamakaya plants produce
Antofagasta JECO2 Ltd 2.5% Inauguration enriched porphyry SpA (100% owned copper cathode
and Mejillones of Escondida copper deposits by BHP), which Nominal capacity:
Copper Water Supply generates power 153.7 Mtpa (nominal
concentrate desalination from the Kelar milling capacity)
transported by plant (2018) gas-fired and 350 ktpa
Escondida- and its power plant copper cathode
owned extension New renewable (nominal capacity
pipelines to its (2019) power of tank house)
Coloso port agreements 2 x 168 km
facilities signed in 2019 concentrate
pipelines, 167 km
water pipeline Remuneration Report
Port facilities at
Coloso, Antofagasta
Desalinated water
plant (total water
capacity of 3,800
litres per second)
Pampa Norte Spence
Atacama Public road BHP 100% BHP Mining First copper Open-cut Spence-owned Processing and
Desert 162 km Copper concession produced in Enriched and transmission crushing facilities,
northeast of cathode from Chilean 2006 oxidised porphyry lines connect to separate dynamic
Antofagasta, transported by Government Spence Growth copper deposit Chile’s northern leach pads, solvent
Chile rail to ports at valid indefinitely Option (SGO) containing in situ power grid extraction and Directors’ Report
Mejillones and (subject to project (i.e. copper oxide Electricity electrowinning plants
Antofagasta payment of new 95ktpd mineralisation purchased from Nominal capacity of
annual fees) concentrator that overlies a external vendors. tank house: 200 ktpa
plant) was near-horizontal New renewable copper cathode
approved in sequence of power
2017 supergene sulphides, agreements
transitional sulphides, signed in 2019
and finally primary
(hypogene) sulphide
mineralisation
Pampa Norte Cerro Colorado
Atacama Public road BHP 100% BHP Mining Commercial Open-cut Electricity 2 primary, secondary
Desert Copper concession production Enriched and purchased from and tertiary crushers, Financial Statements
120 km east cathode from Chilean commenced oxidised porphyry external vendors dynamic leach pads,
of Iquique, trucked to port Government in 1994 copper deposit solvent extraction
Chile at Iquique valid indefinitely Expansions in containing in situ plant, electrowinning
(subject to 1996 and 1998 copper oxide plant
payment of mineralisation Nominal capacity of
annual fees) that overlies a tank house: 130 ktpa
near-horizontal copper cathode
sequence of
supergene
sulphides, 6
transitional
sulphides, and
finally primary
(hypogene) sulphide
mineralisation
Antamina Additional information
Andes Public road BHP 33.75% Compañía Mining rights Commercial Open-cut Long-term Primary crusher,
mountain Copper Glencore 33.75% Minera from Peruvian production Zoned porphyry contracts concentrator, copper
range and zinc Teck 22.5% Antamina Government commenced and skarn deposit with individual and zinc flotation
270 km north concentrates Mitsubishi 10% S.A. held indefinitely, in 2001 with central copper power producers circuits, bismuth/
of Lima, north transported subject to dominated ores moly cleaning circuit
central Peru by pipeline payment of and an outer band Nominal milling
to port of annual fees of copper-zinc capacity 53 Mtpa
Huarmey and supply of dominated ores 300 km concentrate
Molybdenum information on pipeline Port facilities
and lead/ investment and at Huarmey
bismuth production Shareholder information
concentrates
transported
by truck

BHP Annual Report 2020 273