
Under the $650 million deal, which also includes the copper mine’s associated San Manuel Arizona Railroad Company (SMARRCO), Capstone will assume the business's environmental liabilities, and BHP Billiton employees working at Pinto Valley and SMARRCO will become employees of Capstone.
BHP has been looking to restructure its business and offload non-core assets, amid a decline in global demand and falling commodity prices. The mining group has said that it wants to focus on core businesses such as iron ore and coal.