- Australia’s largest open pit mine, visible from space.
- Copper production will rise from 235,000 up to 750,000 tonnes per year.
- Total logistics would increase from the current one million tonnes to 2.2m tonnes.
Olympic Dam, a multi-mineral ore body in the arid north of South Australia, is the world's fourth largest copper mine and largest known uranium deposit. It is also Australia’s largest underground mine. Already huge, it is poised to become even more massive in scale. A proposed open pit mine and process plant expansion will more than triple the mine’s annual copper production.
The project’s EIS and selection studies are staggering in scope and showcase the versatility of Arup’s consultants.
For the EIS, Arup initially assessed several development options. This major undertaking examined social, cultural, and economic changes, as well as the project’s impact on the natural environment. The expansion is centred on the creation of a new open pit mine and minerals-processing facilities. Major support infrastructure would also be needed, including a coastal desalination plant, a new power line and possibly a gas-fired power station, a rail line, an airport, port facilities, a village to accommodate workers, and more housing, retail, commercial and community facilities. Arup’s consultants mapped the way forward with innovative ideas at every turn, paving the way for a regulatory approval application. They also worked out cost-effective and environmentally responsible infrastructure options for the accommodation and logistics selection studies.
Arup is also entrusted with both the master planning of Roxby Downs, which will reach a peak population of 10,000, and the design of an 8000-unit construction village. The aim: to create a liveable, attractive and safe community for resident families and for the fly-in/fly-out construction workforce.
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