Progressive development of a large process plant engineering geological model

The development of a new mining operation is challenging in many ways. To develop the business case, engineering economics have to be considered to minimize the capital and operational costs of every element needed to bring the mineral to market. A key component of any mining operation is the processing plant. If the plant is sited too far away from the mining operation the long-term operation costs are uneconomical; however, if the site near the mining operation is unfavourable; the capital costs may make the mining operation unviable before it starts. This paper investigates the complexities of the ground engineering model development for a proposed processing plant with respect to identifying underlying geohazards and the challenges of the earthworks and foundations systems to mitigate the risks to develop innovative and economical solutions.