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Monday, 30th April 2007 (3474 views)

Olympic Dam is set to become the largest mine in the world, providing huge copper, gold and uranium production, if its expansion gets the green light.

BHP Billiton's mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region is currently undergoing some of the most expensive studies undertaken for the underground mine, with a projected cost for expansion at A$7 billion (£2.9 billion).

The expansion would increase the size of the mine to 3.6km by 3.6km by 1km deep, making it the single largest mine in the world.

Aside from copper, uranium and other precious metals, the mine would also extract some 500,000 ounces of gold annually, which is a big incentive for the projected expansion.

The local town would also see the benefits of the expansion, with Roxby Downs' population increasing from 4,000 to between 7,000 and 8,000. there would be more jobs created as a result and a new airport would be able to accommodate Boeing 737 jets to fly in and out of the area.

 

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