SYDNEY, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Repairs to transmission lines damaged in a freak storm last week that would restore power to BHP Billiton's BHP.AX BLT.L Olympic Dam copper mine could be completed by early next week, power supplier Electranet said on Wednesday.
Olympic Dam remains on care and maintenance, said a BHP spokesman, who could not say when production might resume. The storm blacked out all of South Australia state on Sept. 28. is losing an average of 567 tonnes of copper production at a cost of $2.7 million a day, based on last year's output of 203,000 tonnes and current metals prices of around $4,800 a tonne.
"If all goes well and things like weather, site access and soil conditions don't slow or stop us, we hope to have one of the damaged circuits back up by the end of the weekend and energised soon after. Another circuit will follow a few days later," ElectraNet's Executive Manager Network Services, Simon Emms said.