The Pilbara is past its peak. Australia’s coal sector is in decline.
Our rare earths industry is still in its infancy. The country needs a new mining hero, and BHP’s Olympic Dam project could be the best bet.
The mining giant would like to double production from its South Australian copper business to about 650,000 tonnes a year by the middle of the 2030s. Clearly, that’s not guaranteed, but on Monday a potential stumbling block was taken off the table when BHP announced a 10-year logistics deal with Aurizon worth about $1.5 billion.
