BHP Plans Copper Smelter and Refinery Expansion in South Australia

BHP Group has commissioned Fluor Australia and Hatch Pty to oversee the staged expansion of its copper smelter and refinery facilities in South Australia, including at Olympic Dam, one of its largest copper projects. The first phase will see an investment of over A$40 million ($25 million) for strategy and planning.

Phase one of the expansion includes upgrading the existing smelter and refinery at Olympic Dam into a two-stage smelter and extending refinery capacity to produce over 500,000 tonnes per year. A final investment decision on this phase is expected in the first half of fiscal 2027.

Fluor Australia, a subsidiary of Texas-based Fluor Corp, has extensive experience in mining infrastructure, including past expansions of BHP’s iron ore operations in Western Australia. Hatch has also collaborated with BHP on designing electric smelting plants in Australia.