The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd (BHP) - the "Big Australian" - is one of Australia’s historic mining houses and now among the world's largest mining multi-nationals.A side note to BHP is its attempt with Newcrest Mining to mine gold, platinum and palladium at Coronation Hill, the site of former South Alligator uranium mines in the 1950's. The exploration and associated work undertaken in the late 1980s showed that beneath the planned new open cut and adjacent to gold mineralisation, a uranium deposit of about 344,170 t at 0.54% U3O8 still existed (total 1,870 t U3O8), with further indications of uranium mineralisation to the east (1). The uranium ore contained high grade gold mineralisation at 9.95 grams per tonne (g/t) (1). Thus, if mining had proceeded, there was more than a realistic possibility that high grade uranium ore would be mined and potentially processed, contrary to the claims of the joint venturers.
They lost and the area was incorporated into Kakadu National Park. If the proposal had not been stopped, it would have opened the floodgate for more uranium exploration and potential mines.
The only time it is known BHP has been actively involved in uranium exploration is at Pandanus Creek (NT) from 1958 to 1959. However, it has recently farmed-in to an exploration Joint Venture with Equinox Resources NL, to explore a newly found copper-uranium-gold prospect known as Ethiudna, south of Lake Frome in South Australia (see regional map - click here). The region also hosts numerous small uranium deposits such as Honeymoon, Beverley, Mt Victoria, Crocker's Well and other prospects.
BHP merged with Billiton in early 2001, one of South Africa's largest mining groups. institutions after being divested from Gencor in 1997 and shifting its head office to London. The new company is to be called BHP Billiton with an estimated Australian value of some $60 billion. Both BHP and Billiton are involved in several projects with exploration juniors around the world where uranium is being targetted (directly or indirectly) as part of copper and base metals explorations programs. A compilation is presented below.
In mid-2000, Billiton successfully launched a takeover of Canadian copper and uranium miner Rio Algom, who had operated many of disasterous uranium mines in the Elliott Lake area of northern Ontario in Canada.
Other uranium aspects to Billiton include :
- in 1952, the world’s first commercial ion-exchange plant for the recovery of uranium;
- several members on the board with experience in uranium (such as Rössing, Eskom and others).
An excellent profile of BHP is available from the Mineral Policy Institute (Sydney, NSW, 1997) -
"Skeletons in the Closet : A Corporate Profile of BHP" BHP Information Only (Billiton to come soon) :
Directors : Don Argus (Chair), Paul Anderson (Chief Executive Officer), W Frank Blount, M A Chaney, J C Conde, D A Crawford, M A Jackson, G W McGregor, R J McNeilly, John T Ralph Contacts : 48th Floor, BHP Tower, Bourke Place
600 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Ph (03) 9609 3333 - Fax (03) 9609 4545Website : http://www.bhp.com.au/ Banking Services : National Australia Bank ASX Codes : Shares - BHP, Options - BHPO (Home Exchange - Melbourne, VIC) Annual Reports : See BHP Website. ACN : 004-028-077 Share Registry : 48th Floor, BHP Tower, Bourke Place
600 Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Ph (03) 9609 3333 - Fax (03) 9609 4545BHP Uranium Exploration Prospects :
- Ethiduna, SA, Lake Frome region of South Australia (Joint Venture (50%) with Equinox Resources NL, 50%).
- Cundeelee, WA - Joint Venture (80%) with Tulloch Resources NL, (20%, now in receivership) - current status unknown.
Billiton Uranium Exploration Prospects :
- Lake Torrens project in SA (formerly operated by Pima Mining) - looking for another Roxby (as if 1 is not enough).
- Mt Gunson project operated by Gunson Resources) - looking for another Roxby.
- Lumwana copper-uranium project in Zambia, Africa, with Equinox Resources NL, 50%.
Other Websites :
- Mineral Policy Institute
- The Gulliver File - BHP and Gencor Dossier
- For a map of the Ethiduna region, south of Lake Frome and including the Crocker's Well uranium deposit, click here.
Top 20 BHP Shareholders (2-August-1999)
Company or Entity Share (%) 1 Westpac Custodian Nominees Ltd 13.37 2 Chase Manhattan Nominees Ltd 12.44 3 National Nominees Ltd 9.32 4 ANZ Nominees Ltd 3.70 5 Australian Mutual Provident Society 2.53 6 Perpetual Trustee Australia Group 2.42 7 Citicorp Nominees Pty Ltd 2.38 8 BT Custodians Ltd 2.32 9 Queensland Investment Corporation 2.12 10 MLC Group of Companies 1.65 11 Perpetual Trustees Nominees Ltd 1.01 12 Commonwealth Custodial Services Ltd 0.97 13 Permanent Trustee Australia Ltd 0.96 14 HKBA Nominees Ltd 0.80 15 Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd 0.64 16 Japan Resources Ltd 0.55 17 The National Mutual Group 0.1 18 Commonwealth Superannuation Board of Trustees 0.47 19 NRMA Group 0.47 20 GIO Personal Investment Services 0.33 Total - 57.3% of Ordinary Shares No. of Ordinary Shareholders - 311,000 Director's Interests - see BHP Annual Report 1999.
References - BHP Annual Reports 1998 & 1999;
The Gulliver File - BHP and Gencor Dossiers. Plus Mudd (1998).(1) - RAC, 1991, Kakadu Conservation Zone - Draft & Final Reports. Kakadu Conservation Zone Inquiry, Resource Assessment Commission (RAC), Canberra, ACT, January 1991 (2 Vol's) and April 1991 (2 Vol's), respectively.
Last updated April 14, 2001.
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