The Usual Stuff

What We Do

The Usual Stuff

orelogy offer an extensive range of services across the entire mine planning spectrum. This includes, but is not limited to, the following key areas of support for your mining project.

Click on the buttons  to find out more of orelogy’s capability and track record in these areas.

Project management

Pre-feasibility & feasibility studies

Scoping Studies

Site specific mine planning solutions

Equipment assessment, selection and cost modelling

NI43-101 & JORC 2012 reports

Training

Independent valuations & due diligence studies

Operational implementation & benchmarking

Mine operations production planning & support

Project Management

orelogy undertake management of studies on behalf of clients, ensuring all relevant elements are incorporated, assessed to an acceptable level and completed in a timely fashion.

The management of study programs, particularly project feasibility type studies, requires a fundamental understanding of all facets of the proposed development. 

Generating a workable mine plan must effectively encapsulate all relevant aspects of an entire project, including not only aspects related to mining but also mineral resource estimation, geotechnical, hydrological, processing, environmental, marketing, tenure, closure, safety and more. This mine plan will determine the eventual economic viability and overall scale of the project. The requirement for mine planning to interface with all parties to determine project value gives orelogy an inherently comprehensive appreciation of all the key parameters of a project and their interaction with each other.

orelogy have a core group of highly experienced Principal Consultants and Project Managers who can bring a wealth of experience to any project, across a huge range of locations and commodities.

Pre-feasibility / Feasibility / Implementation​

orelogy undertake all mineral resource evaluation and mining engineering related aspects of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies. Such studies are usually defined as providing cost estimates to an accuracy of +/-20 to 35 % and +/-10 to 15% respectively and are always based on Mineral Resources classified as either Measured or Indicated. Implementation studies are generally undertaken to budget level accuracy. Feasibility assessments can comprise proposed “green-field” ventures, expansions to existing operations, resumption of abandoned developments or combinations of all three.

Components that can be provided by orelogy include, but are not limited to:

  • All aspects of exploration data analysis and resource estimation
  • Mining Method determination and production rate assessments
  • Optimisation of excavation geometry, be it open pit (bench height) or underground
    (stope / panel)
  • Assessment of appropriate modifying factors (ore loss, dilution, equipment selection, productivity estimation etc.)
  • Open pit optimisation and / or underground layout optimisation and assessment of any interaction / trade-off between the two
  • Project Strategy Optimisation, including assessment including cut-off grade and / or blending strategies
  • Detailed, practical open pit and underground designs
  • Calculation of Ore Reserves in compliance with the appropriate reporting standard
    (JORC, NI-43101, AIM, SAMREC etc.)
  • Detailed Life of Mine (LoM) mine scheduling allowing for cut-off grade, stockpiling and blending strategies
  • Design of mine layouts including waste rock storage, stockpiles, mine infrastructure, road networks, surface water management etc.
  • Mine closure and rehabilitation plans
  • Generation of LoM cash-flows and analysis of key project parameters
  • Risk and opportunity assessment

orelogy can also cater for the mineral resource estimate, geotechnical appraisal and infrastructure requirements of these studies by utilising our network of recognised and trusted service providers.

orelogy have the background and expertise to take mining operations from study level through implementation and execution, with a history of involvement in projects from feasibility through execution to on-going support. We can provide the next level of practical detail to ensure feasibility studies translate into a viable and sustainable operation with the greatest likelihood of success.

Scoping Studies, Scale of Operations, Development Strategies and Optioneering

orelogy can undertake all aspects of mining related scoping studies or provide specific resource modelling and/or mining engineering contributions as part of a larger team.

This style of study involves an early evaluation of the project mineral resources and initial assessment of the practical and economic viability of a project, with a view to confirming whether further more detailed assessment and associated expenditure is warranted.

The resource modelling component aims to understand the nature, spatial coverage and quality of the early exploration data and identify any shortcomings to be considered in future exploration programmes.  It also aims to broadly assess and characterise the styles of potential economic mineralisation present and provide a ‘global’ estimate of the insitu Mineral Resources available for input to the mining evaluation component of the study.

The mining study component  involves high-level first pass evaluation using generic or historical parameters to determine potential scale, extent and whether there is a potential break point for applying an underground mining approach. orelogy then builds on this by quickly conducting high level strategic scheduling while concurrently assessing the benefits of a cut-off grade and / or blending strategy, providing our clients with an improved forward view of what their project may realistically look like. In this way, an early indication of the scale of operations and the most appropriate development path can be determined, unlocking the project’s true value while also identifying possible risks and opportunities.

The advantage orelogy has is our combination of experience and cutting-edge toolsets which enables us to turn around these initial assessments in a short time-frame. This agility saves our clients both time and money and allows rapid decision-making on a sound technical basis.

Site Specific Mine Planning Solutions

The orelogy team has a vast amount of collective experience in developing robust and transparent solutions to challenging mine planning problems. This is a result of our orelogists utilising the mine planning software packages currently available not only in operations, but in constantly developing outcomes for complex mining projects as part of ongoing study work. As such we are uniquely placed to tailor a mine planning solution to your project.

Some examples are:

  1. Developing a systematic methodology to complex pit or stope optimisation scenarios.
  2. Modelling of complex dilution approaches and then automating via scripting.
  3. Application of complicated geotechnical criteria to optimisation or design process.
  4. Developing robust and achievable mining schedules while catering for multifaceted geometallurgical considerations.

orelogy also have considerable experience in assessing and modelling many of the alternative mine production technologies such as autonomous haulage, trolley-assist haulage, In-Pit Crushing Conveying (IPCC) etc. We can include the site specific aspects of these approaches to the mine planning solution we develop.

Equipment Assessment, Selection and Cost Modelling

orelogy has undertaken many studies involving optimisation of mining methods and assessment of mining equipment options. This includes appraisal of:

  • Continuous Surface Miners
  • In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (IPCC)
  • Trolley-Assist Truck Haulage
  • Railveyor Material Handling

orelogy has the knowledge and experience to provide detailed cost analysis on any combination of options and provide recommendations for the preferred mining applications and costs of associated capital items.

NI43-101 & JORC Report

Over almost 20 years of feasibility level study work and associated Ore/Mineral Reserve reporting, the orelogy Principal Consultants have amassed Competent Person / Qualified Person status over a range of commodities, styles of mineralisation, mining methods and locations. orelogy Principals are all Members or Fellows of the AusIMM and are therefore qualified to act as CP for Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve reporting under the Australian JORC Code and Qualified Persons for Mineral Reserve reporting under the Canadian National Instrument 43-101. We have developed multiple feasibility level reports for the mining components supporting Ore Reserves and Technical Reports supporting Mineral Reserves.

orelogy currently have QPs/CPs covering:

  • Precious metals
  • Iron
  • Vanadium
  • Copper
  • Lead/Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Mineral Sands
  • Uranium
  • Lithium
  • Graphite
  • Rare Earths

Training

The orelogy team has a vast amount of collective experience in the effective use of many of the mine planning software packages currently available. This includes, but is not limited to products from:

  • Maptek
  • Deswik
  • Hexagon
  • Geovia (Whittle and Surpac)

We can develop and present training courses tailored to your specific company, project or operation. However more importantly, we do not just teach the “how”, we also teach the “why”. In other words, our training is not just an exercise in showing which buttons to push. It will also cover the concepts and “tips and tricks” associated with all aspects of the mine planning process, be it pit or stope optimisation, open pit or underground design, and short/medium/long term scheduling or any other area of mine planning.

Independent Verification, Evaluations and Due Diligence Appraisals

orelogy is able to provide demonstrably independent analysis and assessments for mining companies, banks and lenders, investors, insurance companies and the like.

This form of study includes:

  • Due diligence assessments of both current operations and planned projects for the purposes of investment, acquisition and divestment
  • Independent technical evaluations
  • Technical verification for internal company evaluation
  • Fatal flaw assessment of completed studies

These appraisals cover a range of issues to varying levels of detail, dependent on time frame, budget and client requirements. They can include:

  • Examination of exploration data quality, appropriateness of geological modelling constraints and resource estimation technique(s) used by our clients or their consultants, and whether an estimate is likely to reflect the ore tonnages and grades that will be recovered upon mining.
  • Detailed assessment of the validity and robustness of the parameters used to develop a project (e.g. mining models, optimisation parameters, pit design parameters, operating costs etc.). This approach is used to verify that reported ore reserves conform to the required reporting codes.
  • Examination of mine plans, and the underlying assumptions and the planning systems used to generate them. This will ensure they are practical while at the same time meeting corporate requirements and expectations.
  • Rigorous performance assessment of proposed or actual operating systems and management strategies to determine their suitability, effectiveness and whether short or long term targets are achievable.
  • Assessment of the interface between mining and all other aspects of the project (e.g. geology, processing, environmental, etc.). This can determine if any of the interacting systems or assumptions that have been adopted can be improved or have fatal flaws.
  • Evaluate the basis for operating and economic projections to determine whether they can be considered valid and realistic.

orelogy can produce reports complying with all relevant disclosure requirements and reporting codes, and bring a wealth of practical experience, both within Australia and internationally, to the formation of these reports.

Operational Implementation & Benchmarking

orelogy are able to provide support and guidance to our client not only through the study phases of a project, but right through implementation and execution. orelogy’s Principal and Senior Consultants have managed mining projects, some of them as greenfields start-ups, some as brownfield re-starts, or existing operations. It is important to appreciate that the environment around which a feasibility study is developed can quickly change on the journey to execution. We are therefore well paced to provide the project execution support while also having the mine planning background to amend mine plans to fit with changing goal posts. Our orelogy team bring a wealth of experience across commodities and locations which can be tapped into to add value at any stage of the execution process.

orelogy can also verify and comment on mining related production targets or cost estimates, either via comparison to historical data available on the orelogy’s internal database, or by building comparable first – principal estimates.

Tailored Mine Planning Support and Mentoring

orelogy personnel collectively have considerable mine planning experience and high level competency in most recognised mine planning packages, including MineSight, Vulcan, Whittle 4X, Surpac and Datamine. They are regarded as the pre-eminent experts in Maptek Evolution globally.

orelogy also has expert scripting and programming skills to help projects where a customised solution is necessary. As a result, orelogy can develop comprehensive mine planning systems and procedures tailor-made to the specific requirements of our client. This can vary from strategic life-of-mine planning for multiple working areas to short term planning for individual open pits.

orelogy can provide a bespoke planning support service to operations at either the implementation, pre-production or production phases of operation. This includes every level from Life of Mine (LOM) schedules, annual budgets to monthly production schedules, including development plans and blast layouts.

orelogy personnel have considerable practical site experience, and this background can be of considerable benefit to clients. orelogy personnel have often been embedded with our client’s team to offer on-going mine planning expertise, training and mentoring to site based personnel. Their role can include evaluation and optimisation of all aspects of site mining operations, from the mine face right through the mine operations and planning chain to the end customer.

orelogy are also agile enough to quickly react to a client’s requirements and provide support as and when needed.

The not so usual stuff

Over time, orelogy as a group and some of its key personnel individually have gained valuable experience in innovative and forward-facing mining technologies.

Please click on the button below to find out more of orelogy’s capability and track record in these areas.