Long-Range Mine Planning Project

Project

WestMET ERS was tasked with preparing a comprehensive long-range mine plan to support a client’s application for a pit license at their producing mine. The ERS Team supported development of a six-year mine plan outlining the surface mining approach for the proposed pit. The plan emphasizes key elements such as extraction volume, waste disposal, mine haul roads, and provisions for per-bench access to ensure efficient operations.

Solution

The previous waste dump design prepared by the client was divided into several sections, and each section was evaluated based on the scheduled bench elevations of the pit. Various scenarios were created and input into mine scheduling software to optimize the waste dump sequence. The process considered key factors such as dump safety and haulage economics, ultimately achieving an efficient and safe waste disposal sequence.

Result

The long-range mine plan overview was provided to the client to display an optimized approach for resource extraction for this proposed pit to the regulator. The plan adhered to the limits of pit designs and dump constraints, with an emphasis on operational safety and environmental preservation.

The final deliverables included:

Road Network and Mine Haulage Plan – A six-year, long-range road network and ex-pit ramps were designed to establish a robust mine production system. The design considered factors such as road stability, haul distance economics and appropriate waste material type destinations.
Waste Sequencing/Balancing – The waste dump was planned in phases and sequenced according to the pit’s bench elevation, and waste type. Attention was given to competent materials such as rehandle and waste rock with overburden directed to free-dump areas. Results were presented in color-coded pit benches corresponding to specific dump phases along with spreadsheets detailing waste distribution and mine cut source.
Mine Production Schedule – A comprehensive 71-month forecast of mine production was compiled, which included details on monthly ore type and blended releases, waste movement schedule, and Gantt charts outlining the timeline for mine activities.