BHP has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract to a joint venture between Fluor Australia Pty Ltd and Hatch Pty Ltd, to support the proposed expansion of its copper smelter and refinery facilities in South Australia.
The contract will be executed in stages as BHP progresses toward a final investment decision on the smelter and refinery expansion in the first half of FY27, and through to subsequent construction. BHP said the first stage of EPCM activity represents more than A$40 million of investment to lead overall strategy and planning through the project’s study phases.
“Fluor and Hatch are experienced global EPCM partners with significant shared experience in delivering mega projects, who will bring the right level of scale and expertise to help BHP progress its copper growth plans in South Australia,” said Rashpal Bhatti, group procurement officer, BHP.
“The growth potential for Copper SA is exciting and this first stage of EPCM works will be key as we progress the proposal for an expanded copper smelter and refinery at the heart of South Australia’s growing copper province towards a final investment decision,” Bhatti continued.
“It is critical that we prudently manage our spending to achieve the vision that BHP shares with many others to grow copper production in South Australia, and we have worked closely with Fluor and Hatch on a contract structure that supports this.”
Last year, BHP outlined a pathway to increase copper production in South Australia to more than 500,000 tonnes of refined copper cathode a year by the early 2030s, and a strategy to deliver up to 650,000 tonnes from the mid-2030s.
Source: BHP