BHP’s results were underpinned by reliable production and capital and cost discipline, according to chief executive officer Mike Henry.
Tragically, two BHP employees passed away in the first half of 2023. Nathan Scholz passed as a result of an incident on a surface access road at Olympic Dam in April, and Jody Byrne passed after a train accident at Port Hedland in February.
“The tragic deaths of two of our colleagues during the year have been deeply felt. Our absolute priority remains eliminating fatalities and serious injuries at BHP,” Henry said.
Looking to the future, Henry said the BHP’s investment is progressing at pace with first production at its Jansen mine in Canada, while the company remains on track to create a copper province in South Australia.
“We are creating a new copper province in South Australia following the acquisition of OZ Minerals,” he said.
“We are investing strategically in new ideas, technologies and countries through exploration and early-stage copper and nickel prospects to capture future growth opportunities.”
Henry also highlighted diversity and sustainability as key developing points for the business.
“Today, more than 35 per cent of our employees are female and we have increased Indigenous employee representation globally,” he said.
“We are taking action to reduce our operational GHG emissions through renewable electricity supplies and supporting the development of electric trucks, trains and light vehicles.
“As of today, BHP has among the lowest absolute operational GHG emissions of the major miners.”