BHP resumes South Flank iron ore operations after short pause

Reuters | December 16, 2024 | 3:33 pm Top Companies Australia Iron Ore

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South Flank, part of the Western Australia Iron Ore complex. (Image courtesy of BHP).

BHP paused operations at two iron ore mines in Western Australia on Saturday after heavy rains in the country’s Pilbara region, a spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday, adding operations have since resumed.

“We evacuated personnel from our MAC and South Flank mines to our accommodation villages on Saturday after heavy rains and flash flooding in the Pilbara,” the spokesperson said. “Operations were temporarily paused until it was safe to return to site.”

BHP’s Mining Area C (MAC) and South Flank mines make up its Central Pilbara hub, part of the miner’s Western Australian iron ore operations that together delivered 65 million metric tons of iron ore in the first quarter of the company’s 2025 financial year.

(By Amy Lv and Melanie Burton; Editing by Chris Reese and Jamie Freed)