In its quarterly operational report, BHP said that copper production for the September 2016 quarter decreased by 26% to 41,000t as a result of the Olympic Dam shutdown. Its teams are now working to ramp up the operations, and while some work continued underground during the power outage, the company is now focusing on transitioning its surface operations from care and maintenance back into full production.
“This has been a challenging time and our team has done a great job working safely to ensure stable care and maintenance of our operation. We appreciate the work of everyone involved in restoring power to Olympic Dam,” the company said in a press release.
The power outage and resultant shutdown at Olympic Dam demonstrates the necessity for secure and stable electricity supply in South Australia and across Australia.
