COPPER IS KING

BHP ASSET PRESIDENT COPPER ANNA WILEY OUTLINED A COPPER-FOCUSED FUTURE FOR THE BIG AUSTRALIAN AT THE 2024 COPPER TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE.

BHP has long been vocal about its hunger for copper.

And that appetite was on full display at the 2024 Copper to the World Conference on June 18-19 in Adelaide.

Taking the stage on the first day of the event, BHP asset president copper Anna Wiley discussed the mining giant's aspirations for the base metal, highlighting South Australia as a jurisdiction of interest.

SA is home to 70 per cent of Australia's copper resources, making it one of the world's premier copper jurisdictions.

"This places additional importance on ensuring we economically extract as much copper as possible from our current operations," Wiley said in her speech.

"For BHP, this includes our operations in Chile, where we operate the world's largest copper mine - Escondida - along with the growing Spence copper mine in Chile's north.

"We're also planning for the futuredrilling for our next generation of assets, with our teams searching for new copper prospects in South America, the US, and here in South Australia."

SA copper operations

When BHP acquired OZ Minerals in May 2023, it brought two significant SA-based copper assets into the fold: Carrapateena and Prominent Hill.