Antinuclear

Olympic Dam uranium mine still only at 25% capacity output

Delays continue at BHP’s Olympic Dam, The Independent Weekly, KEVIN NAUGHTON 10 Apr, 2010 Work on the full recommissioning of Olympic Dam’s main shaft has been delayed again,….The shaft, which carries 75 per cent of the mine’s output, has been out of action since an accident on October 6, 2009…… BHP Billiton is notoriously silent on mining incidents.

“They have a code of silence at that mining lease that’s stronger than any code in downtown Calabria,” Australian Workers Union State secretary told The Independent last year.

“They even have the Government tied up because when BHP says jump, the Government says how high.”

This week Mr Hanson said the silence had become deafening…..

After the accident an inspector from SafeWork SA was on site within a day and inspectors from the agency’s specialist Mines and Major Hazard Facilities Team are working through the final stages of the investigation in conjunction with independent technical experts.

This week, a SafeWorkSA spokesman said it may be a long time before any details of the incident come to light and whether or not there was a breach of safety standards……Estimates at the time of the collapse suggested BHP would lose up to a billion dollars in revenue and the State Government would also lose royalties revenue while production continued at the reduced level….

Of the projected 10 million tonne annual output of Olympic Dam, more than eight million tonnes comes up Clark shaft which is 7 metres wide and the best part of a kilometre deep.

Last October an ore skip holding 34 tonnes had almost reached the top of Clark shaft before it suddenly snapped clear and plummeted 800 metres to the bottom.

The shaft has been closed since.

Delays continue at BHP’s Olympic Dam – Local News – News – Business – The Independent Weekly

April 13, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, South Australia, uranium | antinuclear, BHP, BHP Billiton, South Australia, uranium