The Business Case for Effective Mine Closure

Dowd, Patrick F.; Slight, Michael

doi:10.36487/acg_repo/605_dowd

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When it comes to the question of community involvement in closure and revitalisation planning, the academic literature is controversial. On the one hand, it is recommended that closure and revitalisation planning is performed by experts [25,32], but on the other hand, the community should be actively involved, consulted and even empowered, as they can influence the success of these processes [40,41,43,73]. A compromise, and possibly the response to this incongruity, is represented by viewpoint four, which has community involvement at its centre, in the sense of information flow and transparency, rather than the active participation of those concerned.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The support and involvement of local communities in the development of any site management plans, including closure and revitalisation plans, is essential [41], as they are impacted by both the benefits and drawbacks of closure and revitalisation [44]. Potential negative social impacts of closure and revitalisation can be mitigated or even prevented by involving, consulting and empowering actors from the earliest stage of the planning process, i.e., when planning extraction activities [73]. Moreover, actors can even contribute to the success of the revitalisation itself [40,43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Perspectives on Closure and Revitalisation of Extraction Sites and Sustainability: A Q-Methodology Study

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Closure and revitalisation are essential steps in the life cycle of a mineral extraction site. Proper planning and execution can counteract potential negative impacts caused by extraction activities and allow a positive impact to be left on the post-closure region. Decisions on these steps are not made solely by the extraction company; legislators and the public also exert influence. Different opinions and expectations on closure and revitalisation can lead to tensions between actors. Thus, knowing diverse opinions and expectations and considering them in planning contributes to a successful implementation of measures. Using Q-methodology in a study focused on selected EIT RIS countries, we identified five viewpoints on the closure and revitalisation of an extraction site. The statements for this study have been developed based on international and company standards for closure and revitalisation, namely ICMM, IRMA, AngloAmerican and Rio Tinto, which we then also used for comparison in order to see how they relate to the five resulting viewpoints. Across all viewpoints, our results reveal a preference for environmental considerations, followed by social and economic concerns. Even though this paper considers closure and revitalisation separately from mineral extraction, these processes are intertwined. Thus, a sustainable planning and management of the extraction process itself contributes to a successful and sustainable post-closure landscape.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on Closure and Revitalisation of Extraction Sites and Sustainability: A Q-Methodology Study

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, stakeholders that are involved in closure planning can provide input and influence the final landform designs affecting closure work. For example, realising the requirement for further tailings disposal, the local traditional owners allowed the backfill of open pits with tailings at Tanami and Granites Mine sites (Dowd and Slight, 2006). This eliminated the need to build new storage facilities and as a consequence the Tanami has 11 in-pit facilities and the nearby Granites Mine, four.…”

Section: Monitoring and Sign-offmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resolving challenges in tailings closure in semi-arid deserts — a case study into the decommissioning and rehabilitation of the Tanami Mine Three Cell tailings storage facility

Pang¹,

Lacy²,

Haymont³

et al. 2009

Proceedings of the International Conference on Mine Closure

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tanami Mine, located within the Tanami Desert of the Northern Territory, approximately 670 km northwest of Alice Springs, is one of the most remote mine sites in Australia. The site comprises 45 open pits, eight backfilled pits, 11 in-pit tailing storage facilities (TSF), 24 waste rock landforms, two above ground TSF, a processing plant and on-site village accommodation scattered over 70 km in length.The mine site, including TSF, has been subject to a systematic closure process over the last five years. The large Three Cell above ground paddock style TSF was seen by previous mine closure planners as a major challenge to rehabilitate, and accordingly had attracted the largest portion of the closure budget. Deposition of tailings into the TSF occurred between 1992 and 2001, and from this time the cells were allowed to dry and consolidate. The decommissioning process for the facility began in 2004, and a staged and logical approach was employed. Early in the process a review of literature and prior investigations was undertaken to identify gaps in information. The resolution of identified gaps required geochemical investigations for acid base chemistry and multi-elements, surveys of density of deposited tailings, compaction reduction studies through ripping trials with different dozers, ripper depth and configurations, geotechnical assessment of the existing walls, and an extensive upper surface closure option review, followed by a field trial to determine optimum cover designs for rehabilitation and closure.Planning for tailings closure can often be a two to three year process, or longer for more problematic tailings stored in complex facilities, or facilities located on mine sites that have competing resource requirements. At the time of writing this paper, the closure earthworks for the Three Cell TSF were in the final stages, resulting in an active closure process of five years duration. It is expected that by late 2009 all earthworks will be complete and an "as-built decommissioning report" will be prepared. The site will then move into the monitoring phase.The closure of the TSF has not been without challenges and included a one in 910 year annual exceedance probability (AEP) rainfall event which produced large-scale surface water flow and erosion. Other challenges included drought conditions, cold winters, extreme summer temperatures and perceived edaphic difficulties. This paper presents the process employed for the closure of the Three Cell TSF, the investigations, the issues encountered and the final closure strategy.

show abstract

“…Having abundant time to define and redefine a vision as knowledge improves should be an advantage, but all too frequently, the activities needed to plan, design and execute a closure vision are deferred. Common explanations include that there is plenty of time for closure tasks later because closure happens after production ceases, the time value of money makes closure costs more appealing when scheduled later, and short term production targets take priority, as without revenue who will pay for closure (Dowd & Slight 2006;Haymont 2012)? Systemic short-termism erodes any time advantage there may have been for closure and even worse, can increase a company's closure risk and liabilities by constraining opportunities, failing to obtain a shared vision, and failing to test and validate closure assumptions while the people and resources are available (Mackenzie et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closure IS change. Change takes time and needs support. It's a smouldering fuse, not a 'burning platform'

Getty

2023

Proceedings of the International Conference on Mine Closure

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Closure IS change. When a mine ramps down and ceases to operate, it is a change that happens whether we plan for it or not, to the company and workforce, the environment, and future land users. Unplanned change results in unforeseen outcomes that force a new direction. To leave a positive legacy for closure we need to plan for change, which takes time.We need time to ask questions and gain knowledge, to understand what land capability is needed for the post-closure vision. We need time to identify and discuss options, design and co-design the legacy we want to leave, starting as early as possible. This relies on meaningful engagement with our partners in change who are people that have differing views. Significant change can invoke grief, with different emotions at each stage needing time for adaptation.Right from the start, we need to collaborate and integrate closure with the mine life plan with all disciplines and functions. This is not new. It was acknowledged in the late 1990s by the World Bank and in 2000 by the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development project and is still discussed now as one of the main challenges to closure. Integration is not easy. It needs culture, supporting processes, trust and based on shared language and goals.A typical change management phrase uses a 'burning platform' to drive urgent change through fear or reaction to something unfavourable. But a burning platform for closure means we're too late. We've run out of time, we don't have options, and our legacy will be 'what's left' rather than our vision. Closure is the smouldering dynamite fuse, and if we don't plan and integrate closure early and throughout the entire mine lifecycle, we can be left with an expensive surprise.At BHP, we recently updated our global standard for closure. BHP requirements for Closure and Legacy Management took eight months to develop. Our objective was to collaborate, support early integration, and emphasise the interconnectedness of closure. We embedded closure language in BHPs Master Glossary and defined time, including the Life of Asset' "… until BHP no longer holds liabilities."This paper describes the process and key lessons learned along the way. What legacy do you want to leave?

show abstract

The Business Case for Effective Mine Closure

Abstract: Unplanned/Sudden -operations close due to economic market changes, company finances, technical or structural failures or temporary closure.Projects have to be prepared for both of these scenarios.

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Perspectives on Closure and Revitalisation of Extraction Sites and Sustainability: A Q-Methodology Study

Perspectives on Closure and Revitalisation of Extraction Sites and Sustainability: A Q-Methodology Study

Resolving challenges in tailings closure in semi-arid deserts — a case study into the decommissioning and rehabilitation of the Tanami Mine Three Cell tailings storage facility

Closure IS change. Change takes time and needs support. It's a smouldering fuse, not a 'burning platform'

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About