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A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

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Closure plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />

The quality of m<strong>in</strong>e closure plann<strong>in</strong>g will become apparent once the last <strong>to</strong>nne of ore<br />

is passed through the crusher and it is turned off. At this stage the key people on<br />

site will be (ideally) the closure manager and the closure team, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the planner<br />

who created the master plan, sequenc<strong>in</strong>g all of the activities, tasks and resources<br />

required. The key for a successful implementation is <strong>to</strong> follow the plan. By cont<strong>in</strong>ually<br />

review<strong>in</strong>g the plan, and reschedul<strong>in</strong>g activities and resources, the deadl<strong>in</strong>es can be<br />

met and, more importantly, costs controlled. This will ensure the closure tasks can be<br />

completed on time and with<strong>in</strong> budget. At most sites, all <strong>in</strong>frastructure and plant will<br />

be removed, the site re-con<strong>to</strong>ured and revegetated, with a small team rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong><br />

carry out ongo<strong>in</strong>g environmental moni<strong>to</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance programs.<br />

An example of good plann<strong>in</strong>g, team build<strong>in</strong>g and cooperative partnerships with the<br />

community is the closure of the Mt McClure gold m<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Western Australia. The Mt<br />

McClure project had several owners before it came under the control of Newmont<br />

<strong>in</strong> 2002. The m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g operations consisted of a standard carbon-<strong>in</strong>-leach process<strong>in</strong>g<br />

plant with multiple pits and two tail<strong>in</strong>gs s<strong>to</strong>rage facilities. In plann<strong>in</strong>g for the full<br />

decommission<strong>in</strong>g of the project, a risk assessment was undertaken by the closure<br />

management team with external consultants <strong>to</strong> focus on key issues and form the<br />

basis of the closure plan. This was followed by a stakeholder consultation process <strong>to</strong><br />

further develop the plan and the creation of a process map that outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> detail the<br />

plann<strong>in</strong>g steps and sequences (see LP Closure p.44).<br />

Figure 5.10 – The Mt McClure site before closure<br />

144 LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY

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