Process to improve expected value of mining operations

Abstract

This paper presents an improved appraisal process that correctly recognises the increased expected value of mining operations attributable to intelligent management response to changing operating conditions and market prices. It recognises the option value of flexibility in the exploitation of deposits, and thus leads to better selection of properties for finance and development. This evaluation method is based on a computationally efficient procedure for examining the opportunities provided by possible price changes that may occur over the project lifetime. It implicitly looks at all possible future price scenarios using a limited range of typical price profiles, therefore covering the range of possibilities without exploring it exhaustively. It contrasts with conventional analyses that assume that prices do not fluctuate through the lifetime of the project. The procedure was developed in collaboration with experienced mining professionals and actual cases in mining and other extractive industries.

Keywords

MINING FINANCE MINING ECONOMICS MINING VALUATION FLEXIBLE MINE DESIGN FLEXIBLE MINING OPERATIONS FLEXIBILITY REAL OPTIONS SIMULATIONS

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