BHP Group Limited (BHP) operates as a resources company worldwide.
Segments
The company operates through three segments: Copper, Iron Ore, and Coal.
Copper
This segment engages in the mining of copper, uranium, gold, zinc, molybdenum and silver.
Iron Ore
This segment engages in the mining of iron ore.
Coal
This segment engages in the mining of steelmaking coal and energy coal.
Assets
Minerals Australia
Minerals Australia includes operated assets in Western Australia, Queensland and Ne...
BHP Group Limited (BHP) operates as a resources company worldwide.
Segments
The company operates through three segments: Copper, Iron Ore, and Coal.
Copper
This segment engages in the mining of copper, uranium, gold, zinc, molybdenum and silver.
Iron Ore
This segment engages in the mining of iron ore.
Coal
This segment engages in the mining of steelmaking coal and energy coal.
Assets
Minerals Australia
Minerals Australia includes operated assets in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, focused on iron ore, steelmaking coal, nickel and energy coal. The commodities produced by the company’s Minerals Australia assets are transported by rail and road to port and exported to its global customers or by rail to domestic customers.
Iron Ore
Western Australia Iron Ore
Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) is an integrated system of four processing hubs and five open-cut operational mines in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia, connected by more than 1,000 kilometres of rail infrastructure and port facilities.
WAIO’s Pilbara reserve base is relatively concentrated, allowing development through integrated mining hubs connected to the mines and satellite orebodies by conveyors or spur lines. This approach seeks to maximise the value of installed infrastructure by using the same processing plant and rail infrastructure for several orebodies.
Ore is crushed, beneficiated (where necessary) and blended at the processing hubs – Mt Newman operations (which has the company’s beneficiation plant), Yandi, Mining Area C (the company’s largest operating iron ore hub processing ore from Area C and South Flank) and Jimblebar – to create lump and fines products that are transported along the Port Hedland–Mt Newman rail line to the Finucane Island and Nelson Point port facilities at Port Hedland.
There are four main WAIO joint ventures (JVs): Mt Newman JV, Yandi JV, Mt Goldsworthy JV (which includes the South Flank mining area) and Jimblebar JV. BHP’s interest in each is 85 per cent, with Mitsui and ITOCHU owning the remaining 15 per cent. The joint ventures are unincorporated, except Jimblebar JV.
BHP, along with Mitsui, ITOCHU and POSCO are also participants in the POSMAC JV. BHP’s interest in POSMAC is 65 per cent. The ore from the POSMAC JV is sold to the Mt Goldsworthy JV.
All ore is transported on the Mt Newman JV and Mt Goldsworthy JV rail lines. The Nelson Point port facility is owned by the Mt Newman JV and the Finucane Island facility is owned by the Mt Goldsworthy JV. On 7 September 2021, BHP received regulatory approval to increase the company’s export capacity at WAIO’s Port Hedland operations, in stages, up to 330 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) (100 per cent basis. The company is studying expansion alternatives for growth up to 330 Mtpa with the feasibility study expected to be completed in CY2025.
The company’s near-term focus remains on stable production of 290 Mtpa of iron ore. Successful tie-in of capital projects, including the port debottlenecking project, is expected to enable growth in excess of 305 Mtpa in the medium term.
Coal
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) (BHP ownership: 50 per cent) operates five steelmaking coal mines – Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji and Caval Ridge in the Bowen Basin, Queensland. BMA’s mines are open cut, except for the Broadmeadow underground longwall operation. BMA has access to infrastructure, including a modern, multi-user rail network, and owns and operates its own coal-loading terminal at Hay Point, near Mackay.
New South Wales Energy Coal
New South Wales Energy Coal (NSWEC) (BHP ownership: 100 per cent) comprises the Mt Arthur Coal open-cut energy coal mine in the Hunter Valley. It has access to infrastructure in the Hunter Region, including a multi-user rail network and coal loading terminal access at the Port of Newcastle through Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (BHP ownership: 28 per cent) and Port Waratah Coal Services.
On 16 June 2022, the company announced it would retain NSWEC in the company’s portfolio, seek the relevant approvals to continue mining beyond the current consent that expires at the end of FY2026 and proceed with a managed process to cease mining at the asset by the end of FY2030. Continuation of mining to the end of FY2030 is intended to provide the time to work with its people and the local community on an equitable change and transition approach, as well as the time to plan and execute the necessary works to deliver a positive legacy from BHP mining in the Hunter Valley.
Nickel
Western Australia Nickel
Nickel West (BHP ownership: 100 per cent) is a fully integrated nickel business located in Western Australia, with three streams of concentrate. It comprises open-cut and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery. Nickel West owns the majority of tenements hosting Nickel Sulphide Mineral Resources in the Agnew-Wiluna belt, Western Australia.
Disseminated sulphide ore is mined at the Mt Keith open-pit operation and Mt Keith Satellite mine (Yakabindie) and crushed and processed on-site to produce nickel concentrate. Nickel sulphide ore is mined at the Cliffs and Leinster underground mines and processed through a concentrator and dryer at Leinster. A concentrator plant in Kambalda processes ore and concentrate purchased from third parties.
The three streams feed the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter, which uses a flash furnace to produce nickel matte. The Kwinana nickel refinery then turns this into nickel powder, briquettes and nickel sulphate.
The West Musgrave Project (BHP ownership: 100 per cent; acquired as part of OZ Minerals) is a greenfield nickel and copper project located on Ngaanyatjarra Country in the West Musgrave Ranges of Western Australia, approximately 1,300 kilometres northeast of Perth and 1,400 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, near the intersection of the borders of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Copper South Australia
Copper South Australia comprises surface processing and underground mining operations in one of the world’s most significant copper, gold, silver and uranium basins. Copper South Australia was formed following the company’s acquisition of OZ Minerals in May 2023 and refers to Olympic Dam, and Carrapateena and Prominent Hill operations, which were acquired from OZ Minerals, and the Oak Dam exploration project. The underground mining and conventional crushing operations of Carrapateena and Prominent Hill produce copper concentrate and are located in close proximity to the mining and integrated crushing, grinding, concentrating, smelting and refining operations of Olympic Dam, which produces copper cathode, gold and silver bullion, and uranium oxide concentrate. The commodities produced by Copper South Australia are transported by road and rail to the company’s domestic customers and via the Adelaide and Whyalla ports to be exported to the company’s global customers.
Minerals Americas
The Minerals Americas asset group includes operated assets, projects and interests in non-operated joint ventures in Canada, Chile, Peru, the United States and Brazil.
The company’s operated assets in the Americas are Escondida and Pampa Norte, which are open-cut mines that produce copper concentrate and copper cathodes, and the Jansen potash project in Canada. The non-operated assets in the Minerals Americas portfolio are open-cut mines that produce copper (Antamina) and iron ore (Samarco), and the Resolution Copper Project in the United States. The commodities produced by the company’s Minerals Americas assets are transported to port by pipeline, rail or road and exported to customers around the world. In July 2024, the company agreed to acquire a 50 per cent interest in the Filo del Sol and Josemaria copper projects in Argentina and Chile with Lundin Mining. If approved, this will give it the opportunity to jointly advance an emerging copper district with world-class potential.
Copper
Escondida
Escondida (BHP ownership: 57.5 per cent), located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, is a leading producer of copper concentrate and cathodes, with by-products including gold and silver.
Escondida’s two pits feed three concentrator plants, as well as two leaching operations (oxide and sulphide).
Pampa Norte
Pampa Norte (BHP ownership: 100 per cent) consists of two assets in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile – Spence and Cerro Colorado.
Spence produces copper cathodes and copper concentrate, with by-products including gold, silver and molybdenum.
Cerro Colorado produced copper cathodes up until the asset entered temporary care and maintenance in December 2023.
Potash
Jansen Potash Project
The Jansen potash project (BHP ownership: 100 per cent) is located about 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, Canada.
Jansen’s large resource provides the opportunity to develop the project in stages, with Jansen Stage 1 (Jansen S1) expected to produce approximately 4.15 Mt of potash per annum on completion and first production is expected in late CY2026. Approval of the 4.36 Mtpa Jansen Stage 2 (Jansen S2) has increased planned production to approximately 8.5 Mtpa, with further brownfield expansions up to 8 Mtpa (approximately 4 Mtpa per stage).
BHP holds mineral leases covering around 9,600 square kilometres in the Saskatchewan potash basin.
Copper
Non-Operated Minerals Joint Ventures
Antamina
Antamina (BHP ownership: 33.75 per cent), located in north central Peru, is a large, low-cost copper and zinc mine with by-products including molybdenum and silver. Antamina is operated independently by Compañía Minera Antamina S.A.
Resolution Copper
Resolution Copper (BHP ownership: 45 per cent), located in the U.S. State of Arizona, is one of the largest undeveloped copper projects in the world and has the potential to become one of the largest copper producers in North America. Resolution Copper is operated by Rio Tinto (55 per cent ownership).
Iron ore
Non-Operated Minerals Joint Venture
Samarco
Samarco (BHP ownership: 50 per cent) comprises a mine and three concentrators located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and four pellet plants and a port located in Anchieta in the state of Espírito Santo. Three 400-kilometre pipelines connect the mine site to the pelletising facilities. Samarco is operated independently by Samarco Mineração S.A. Samarco’s main product is iron ore pellets, which are independently marketed by Samarco and sold to customers around the world.
Samarco’s operations were suspended in November 2015 after the Fundão dam failure. Since resuming operations in December 2020, 80 per cent of the tailings generated are filtrated and dry stacked, and 20 per cent are deposited in a confined pit enabling Samarco to operate without a conventional tailings dam structure.
Strategy
The company will responsibly manage the most resilient long-term portfolio of assets, in highly attractive commodities, and will grow value through being excellent at operations, discovering and developing resources, acquiring the right assets and options.
Acquisitions
On 2 May 2023 (Acquisition Date), the company acquired 100 per cent of the issued share capital of OZ Minerals Limited (OZL).
History
BHP Group Limited was founded in 1851. The company was incorporated in 1885.