BHP Billiton says the haulage system in the Clark Shaft at its Olympic Dam mine has been damaged in a mechanical failure.
The fully automated haulage system was damaged at approximately 10.30pm on 6 October 2009. Media reports claim the failure was caused by a run-away ore skip.
Olympic Dam is a copper, uranium and gold mine which supplies around 10% of the world’s mine production of uranium.
The main shaft haulage system supplies ore from underground to the surface processing facilities. BHP Billiton says the secondary haulage system continues to operate.
According to BHP Billiton, no one was injured in the incident. The company is undertaking a full investigation to determine the cause of the failure, the extent of the damage, and the time it would take to repair the haulage system.
BHP Billiton has reiterated the importance of ensuring the safety of its workers before it re-starts the haulage operations.
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