A guide to leading practice sustainable development in mining

During the 1980s and 1990s, a number of mine operators in NSW and other States
and Territories became insolvent and mining leases, along with the closure and
rehabilitation liabilities, were passed back to the government. In many cases it was
found that the security bond held by the government agencies represented only
a small portion of the actual amount required to effectively close the operations
to appropriate standards. Mining companies and regulators are now using a
spreadsheet based security bond calculation tool to more realistically estimate
the rehabilitation bond to ensure sufficient funds are available should the mine
close prematurely. The tool divides the mine into separate areas that have similar
rehabilitation needs for post-mining land use. These areas are called ‘domains’ and
they typically include areas such as infrastructure, run-of-mine, tailings storage
facilities, overburden and waste rock dumps, active operational areas and voids, and
surface water structures. The below picture is an example of a typical mine layout
showing the allocation of domains (see LP Closure p.31).
Figure 5.34 – Examples of domains for estimating rehabilitation costs
A GUIDE TO LEADING PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MINING 171