Prominent Hill is a copper-gold-silver mine in South Australia, which has delivered on its annual production guidance for the past six years and operates in the lowest cost quartile globally. Prominent Hill first came on stream in 2009 and in 2018, transitioned to an underground-only operation. It ramped up to a 4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) run rate in 2020. Further plans are in place to increase production to between 4–5 Mtpa from 2022. Upon completion of the Wira shaft installation in 2024, the underground production rate will increase to 6 Mtpa from 2025.
In 2019, the Site Leadership Team commenced a broader transformation program (Figure 1) so Prominent Hill is well positioned for the future as a Modern Mine; delivering value for OZ Minerals’ five stakeholder groups and ensuring the safety, cost, and production fundamentals as a long-life asset.