BHP released its half year results on 22 August 2023 at 8.30am (AEST). Mike Henry, Chief Executive Officer, and David Lamont, Chief Financial Officer, reviewed the Company's operating and financial performance.
BHP Chief Executive Officer, Mike Henry:
"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.
Our financial results for the year were strong, underpinned by reliable production together with capital and cost discipline as we managed lower commodity prices and inflationary pressures. Our balance sheet is robust and deliberately positioned to support portfolio growth in commodities the world needs for population growth, urbanisation and decarbonisation.
In Canada, our investment in potash is progressing at pace with first production at Jansen on track for the latter half of 2026, and we are creating a new copper province in South Australia following the acquisition of OZ Minerals. We are investing strategically in new ideas, technologies and countries through exploration and early-stage copper and nickel prospects to capture future growth opportunities.
We continue to build an inclusive, high-performance culture and a more sustainable business, which are key to our future competitiveness and ability to deliver sector-leading returns. Today, more than 35% of our employees are female and we have increased Indigenous employee representation globally. 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.
Commodity demand has remained relatively robust in China and India even as developed world economies have slowed substantially. In the near term, China's trajectory is contingent on the effectiveness of recent policy measures. We expect buoyant growth in India with strong construction activity underpinning an expansion in steelmaking capacity. More broadly, there is increased recognition of the importance of critical minerals and strategies across the globe to incentivise investment in supply and demand, which provides opportunities and challenges."
