BHP’s Copper SA operations will undergo a major logistics shift following a $1.5 billion contract agreement with transport company Aurizon.
The new arrangement will see copper concentrate, cathode, and inbound freight from BHP’s Olympic Dam, Carrapateena, and Prominent Hill mines move from road to rail between Pimba and Port Adelaide.
The rail component will be handled by Aurizon, with South Australian company Symons Clark Logistics subcontracted to manage road haulage between the mine sites and Pimba.
The change is expected to remove more than 11,000 heavy vehicle movements from South Australian roads each year, cutting around 13 million kilometres of truck travel annually.
BHP said the transition will improve road safety, reduce regional congestion, and lower emissions across its supply chain.
“This partnership forms a critical link between our operations in the state’s far north and our path to market at the Port of Adelaide,” BHP asset president Copper SA Anna Wiley said.
“It’s about delivering South Australian resources to the world.”
This move also marks a significant logistics reconfiguration and reflects a move toward more integrated infrastructure across the Copper SA asset group.
The shift comes amid forecasts that global copper demand will increase by 70 per cent by 2050, driven by electrification, renewable energy development, and data centre growth.
“South Australia is host to around 70 per cent of Australia’s copper resource, and BHP is well positioned to help maximise this opportunity.” Premier Susan Close said.
“The partnership BHP has announced … is a consolidated intermodal transport solution, which will reduce congestion on regional roads, and demonstrates their long-term commitment to realising a Tier One copper province that could play a significant role in meeting the predicted surge in international demand for copper required by the global energy transition.”
