RAW materials mined in Australia and Chile will be used to produce the medals for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.
BHP Billiton’s Cannington mine in Queensland, Australia and its Escondida and Spence operations in Chile will provide the materials needed to produce the gold, silver and bronze medals for the Games.
Cannington will supply the silver that is used in the production of both the gold and silver medals.
Escondida will supply copper concentrate which will contain the gold for the gold medals, while Spence will provide copper cathode that is used to produce the bronze for the bronze medals.
The materials will be shipped from both countries to the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation in Shanghai where the medals will be created.
Located in northwest Queensland, Australia, Cannington is a fly-in, fly-out mining and processing operation that has grown to become the world’s largest and lowest cost single mine producer of both silver and lead.
Located in Chile’s Atacama Desert 170 km southeast of Antofagasta, Escondida is the world’s largest copper producer, producing copper from open pit mining. Escondida is also one of the lowest cost copper producers.
The Spence deposit is located at an elevation of 1700 m above sea level in the arid Atacama Desert Region of northern Chile near the small community of Sierra Gorda.