Record copper sales and soaring gold and iron ore prices in the second half of 2020 have helped the Australian state reach its second-highest year of mining value, the latest South Australian government figures show.
Figures published this week by the South Australia Department for Energy and Mining show the state’s mineral resource production for the 2020 calendar year reached AUD$7,059,477,619 ($5,465 billion), up from $6.9 billion in 2019.
It is only the second time the sector has topped $7 billion in a year and is the second-highest year on record behind the $7.312 billion produced in 2014.
The 2020 figure was achieved despite a struggling oil and gas sector that contributed $1.34 billion compared with $1.65 billion in 2019 and $1.9 billion in the record year of 2014.
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