00:00 The Premier pouring over the Olympic Dam smelter.
00:07 Peter Malinowskis in the States Far North alongside BHP, the firm talking up its growth
00:13 plans in South Australia which include a possible new mine and a bigger smelter for copper.
00:19 The excitement we have for the province is being able to feed our central smelter and
00:23 refining complex from the many mines in the region.
00:27 The miner has developed, then dropped, numerous expansion projects in SA over the last dozen
00:32 years like in 2020 when it backed away from a $3.5 billion enlargement of Olympic Dam.
00:40 Since then BHP has taken over Oz Minerals, gaining control of the Carapatina and Prominent
00:46 Hill mines.
00:47 It has also continued exploration of the Oak Dam site with demand for copper expected to
00:53 increase in coming decades due to its use in renewable energy technologies.
00:58 If there is more copper being mined in SA that means not just more jobs, highly paid
01:03 jobs but it also means potentially a lot more royalty income.
01:07 When Olympic Dam was found it was remarked that we had found the elephant and now we
01:13 are starting to look for the herd and the herd is starting to become uncovered.
01:17 Mining at Oak Dam and growing the capacity of Olympic Dam needs water.
01:22 That's why BHP is helping fund a more than $200 million feasibility study for a proposed
01:27 state government owned desalination plant on Eyre Peninsula.
01:31 The Premier offering reassurance about the plan.
01:34 The state government is not going to build an over $5 billion desal plant and pipeline
01:41 unless it is commercial both for BHP and for the government itself.
01:46 It's also going to take time.
01:47 A final decision on the Northern Water Project won't be made for two years while it will
01:52 take BHP at least that long to make a call on upgrading its smelter.
01:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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