BHP Continues Mining At Olympic Dam After Main Shaft Fails
October 07 2009 - 11:23PM
Dow Jones News
BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU) said Thursday it continues to mine
ore underground at its Olympic Dam operation in South Australia
after the breakdown of the mine's main haulage system.
BHP said the fully automated Clark shaft at the mine broke down
on Tuesday night, but gave no further details of the incident.
"In the meantime underground mining is continuing with ore being
hoisted to the surface via the secondary Whenan shaft," BHP
said.
BHP said it is currently examining what impact the temporary
closure of the main shaft for hauling ore at the mine will have on
production, planning schedules and budget.
"This work is expected to be completed in the course of the next
two weeks and will run in parallel with both the government and
company investigations into the incident," BHP said.
-By Alex Wilson, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-3-9292-2094;
alex.wilson@dowjones.com