AXT Location:Gawler Craton.Meanwhile,not far away,same...

AXT Location:
Gawler Craton.

Meanwhile,not far away,same region.

Global miner BHP Billiton said today it was a step closer to expanding its Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine in South Australia after gaining clearance to release an environmental impact report to the public for scrutiny.


The expansion, which analysts have suggested could cost $20 billion or more, must still pass environmental assessments from various levels of Australian government, which will not occur until the second half of this year once, the company publishes its own environmental impact paper, BHP Billiton said.

If the expansion gets the go-ahead, it could nearly quadruple the mine's copper production to 750,000 tonnes per year over 30 years, putting Olympic Dam on near-par with the massive copper lodes of South America.

It would also lift annual production of uranium from around 4,000 tonnes now to 19,000, more than is produced each year in all of Kazakhstan, the world's top producer.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/bhps-olympic-dam-expansion-a-step-closer-20110513-1em2h.html#ixzz1MT25Lhvx