Professional mine closure service offers accurate, attainable mine closure objectives

26th June 2020

     

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Arguably the last two decades have witnessed it all, well we think so, starting with the replacement of the term “mothballing” with  “care and maintenance”. We then experienced a wave of  so called “partial closures”, and another of “re-purposement”, much of which came with the conversion of mining rights in the previous decade and is probably still a very relevant topic in light of international best practice.  

We then experienced various “business rescue” processes and, in some cases, even the dreaded “liquidation”, “abandonments” and many forms of “transfer” of ownership.  In this time, we witnessed concepts such as “co-generation”, “re-mining”, “mining for closure” and have even witnessed our state institutions grapple with agendas of nationalization with a growing demand for transparency on financial provisions for closure from the general public. 

We feel inclined to see a futuristic state where closure provision for industrial developments becomes the norm.  However, despite so many movements and so many changes and fluctuations, in essence so many names and caveats probably only amount to the one ultimate and certainty in the death of mining phase, that of mine closure.  

On reflection, the above was and is driven largely by various forces of local and international economy, possibly to a degree by the transformation of the South African mining landscape and maybe even influenced (in more ways than one) by the technological advances toward clean energy and ICT demands worldwide. 

Irrespective, and as “remote” or uncertain as this might sound, has the mine closure compliance regime over this same period been cascaded into an absolute policy level change? For instance, the shift from the old Minerals Act to the subsequent Minerals and Petroleum Development Act Regulations and, more recently, the ground-breaking NEMA financial provision regulation requirements, as well as provision requirements for licenced water use infrastructure has been notable.  

We also site various enhancements or additional requirements from international mining councils, from external verification auditors, changes to listing guidelines and indexes as well as the ever-evolving shareholder reporting expectations.  We stand in an era when we have witnessed a total shift in not only director and owner responsibility toward mine closure, but also a shift in international mine closure governance, local competent authority duties - albeit administrative or executional - fed by an increasing social expectation to responsibly exploit, protect and preserve.  

Based on experience dating back to 1995, does Environmental Assurance (ENVASS) provide the mining industry with a unique closure planning and execution solution? We site the regulatory closure process requirements as prescribed by sections in the environmental impact assessment regulations, whilst recognizing the acute importance of being able to design, through internal and external factor analysis, accurate and attainable mine closure objectives. Our approach is underpinned by not only a detailed understanding of the mining industry and its unique processes, but also a strong inclination toward physical, biophysical, social and socioeconomic backdrops which enable our team to precisely assess, quantify and qualify closure risks for both brown- and greenfield developments.  

We build our mine closure service on sustainability and, more than the sustainability of the closure plan, we focus on the sustainability of the ENVASS and client relationship over the duration of the closure project.  We seek out long-term relations which then enables ENVASS to superimpose its risk-based mine closure planning model into the life cycle of the mine, subsequently identifying closure alternatives and opportunities. Thereafter, we accurately rate, rank and map the manifestation of risks.  

We aim to provide the mining right holder with site-specific tailor-made market-related and risk-based financial provision obligations. Further, to enhance internal competence for closure controls through rehabilitation programme planning and execution, our mine closure service aims to, firstly, secure compliance and external verifiability whilst further iterating closure alternatives, seeking out cross-factor beneficial options from which any newly planned, in-process and/or an end-of-life mining operation would benefit.

Our team of professionals have been servicing and unpacking mine closure planning and execution programmes for various large, small, listed and non-listed mining rights holders in South and Southern Africa.  Our interaction with internal mine closure institutions and best practice platforms, as well as our virtual mine closure software programme Li@bility TM adds to our leading edge as a proudly South African mine closure expert company.  Please visit our webpage at ww.envass.co.za or feel free to call on us for any support in this regard.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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