BHP targets iron-ore cash costs under $20/t
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified major BHP Billiton’s iron-ore president Jimmy Wilson on Tuesday said that the company was looking to reduce its cash costs to below $20/t for its iron-ore product, while production improvements would be gained through little or no investment.
Speaking to the Global Iron and Steel Forecast conference, in Perth, Wilson said that during the half-year ended December, the company had already reduced its cash costs by about 29%, to $20.35/t.
The Pilbara operations achieved a record 124-million tonnes of production during the first half of the year, and the operations were on track to deliver 245-million tonnes for the full year.
“Over the past decade, BHP Billiton made a $25-billion capital investment in infrastructure and equipment in our Western Australian iron-ore operations. Through our disciplined programme of investment, we were able to deliver valuable tonnes to market and maintain our share of supply,” Wilson said.
“From this solid foundation, we are growing production from our existing footprint and infrastructure through productivity improvements.”
Wilson said that BHP’s focus would be on raising the capacity of its mines to about 275-million tonnes a year without the need for additional investment, by untangling bottlenecks at operations and through increasing the availability and rates of its existing infrastructure.
“We have no major projects in execution and our growth pathway will be achieved by continuing to make our existing infrastructure more productive.”
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Established in 1983, the ASTPM is an industry association and representative body of the welded carbon steel tube and pipe manufacturers of South...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Columbus Stainless, based in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, is Africa’s only producer of stainless steel flat products. In addition, Columbus is the only...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
