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Mining above and below ground: timing the transition

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  • Alexandra Newman
  • Candace Yano
  • Enrique Rubio

Abstract

Some mining operations eventually transition underground because surface mining becomes increasingly expensive as one progresses downward. Mining firms often delay this transition because large underground infrastructure costs are incurred up front, whereas underground extraction may occur over decades. When and how deep to install the underground infrastructure, as well as extraction schedules above and below ground, are decisions with a sizable impact on profits. This article addresses these questions while considering realistic factors, including choices of cutoff grades (minimum ore concentration at which the extracted material is processed to recover ore) and mining rates. We present a large longest-path representation of the problem and show that it can be solved via a series of small longest-path problems. The latter representation is not a decomposition of the original network but takes advantage of the structure of the problem. Together, the small networks require only a few seconds to solve. We illustrate our approach using data from a South African mine and provide insights regarding the effects of ore prices, discount rates, and their interactions on the characteristics of optimal solutions; we find that common wisdom is not always applicable. Our solutions have significantly higher profits than benchmark solutions, representing up to billions of dollars.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandra Newman & Candace Yano & Enrique Rubio, 2013. "Mining above and below ground: timing the transition," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 865-882.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:uiiexx:v:45:y:2013:i:8:p:865-882
    DOI: 10.1080/0740817X.2012.722810
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Khaboushan, A.Soltani & Osanloo, M., 2020. "Semi-symmetrical production scheduling of an orebody for optimizing the depth of transitioning from open pit to block caving," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Akshay Chowdu & Peter Nesbitt & Andrea Brickey & Alexandra M. Newman, 2022. "Operations Research in Underground Mine Planning: A Review," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 52(2), pages 109-132, March.
    3. Zeng, Lanyan & Liu, Shi Qiang & Kozan, Erhan & Corry, Paul & Masoud, Mahmoud, 2021. "A comprehensive interdisciplinary review of mine supply chain management," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. Whittle, D. & Brazil, M. & Grossman, P.A. & Rubinstein, J.H. & Thomas, D.A., 2018. "Combined optimisation of an open-pit mine outline and the transition depth to underground mining," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(2), pages 624-634.
    5. Aleksandr Rakhmangulov & Konstantin Burmistrov & Nikita Osintsev, 2022. "Selection of Open-Pit Mining and Technical System’s Sustainable Development Strategies Based on MCDM," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-31, June.
    6. Lorenzo Reus & Mathias Belbèze & Hans Feddersen & Enrique Rubio, 2018. "Extraction Planning Under Capacity Uncertainty at the Chuquicamata Underground Mine," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 543-555, November.
    7. Chung, Joyce & Asad, Mohammad Waqar Ali & Topal, Erkan, 2022. "Timing of transition from open-pit to underground mining: A simultaneous optimisation model for open-pit and underground mine production schedules," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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