THE BIG AUSTRALIAN TURNS 140

BHP REMAINS AT THE FOREFRONT OF GLOBAL MINING, LEVERAGING A HISTORY OF RESILIENCE AND INNOVATION TO LEAD THE INDUSTRY INTO A NEW ERA.

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Charles Rasp could scarcely have imagined that in 2025 the company he founded 140 years earlier would be represented in the White House, with its chief executive meeting the US President to discuss global critical minerals supply chains, and why companies like BHP are crucial to winning the artificial intelligence (AI) race.

The White House meeting on August 19 between President Donald Trump, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, BHP chief executive Mike Henry, and his Rio Tinto counterparts was convened to specifically discuss the Resolution Copper mine, recognised as one of the largest and best undeveloped copper deposits in the US.

The meeting underlined the crucial role mining plays in a modern, technologically driven global economy, and in securing global supply chains.

Located near Superior, Arizona, the BHP-Rio Tinto joint venture Resolution Copper project has been bogged down in red tape and legal wrangling for the past 20 years.

Following the White House meeting, Henry expressed optimism that the project could finally move forward.

In a LinkedIn post, Henry wrote that BHP appreciated the US Government's efforts to boost mining and open new possibilities for development, especially for critical minerals such as copper and potash, two key areas of interest to BHP.

Along with Resolution, BHP’s global copper operations include several mines in South America, including Escondida in Chile the world’s largest producer of copper concentrates and cathodes, and Pampa Norte, which produces high-quality copper cathode.