Integrated planning for environmental management during mining operations and mine closure

Abstract

The decision to initiate and continue production at any mine operation is based upon economic criteria. Key determinants in the decision—making process include the current and predicted market value of the commodity, and the cost of production. Production costs necessarily include expenditure related to environmental management during operations. The costs of reclamation and closure are usually the most significant throughout the project life cycle. Consequently, the cost of environmental management during operations and at closure is considered at an early stage in mine planning, often during project feasibility analysis. This paper presents the main issues of environmental cost management which are assessed during feasibility studies, and sometimes as early as the pre‐feasibility assessment. The process of reducing costs by incorporating sequential reclamation and phased closure concurrently with mining operations is advocated. The concepts of systematic reclamation and closure technology selection during early stages of project planning, and the cost benefit of designing for closure, are discussed. In particular, reference is made to uncertainty and risk as factors which must be included in closure design and cost management.