Evaluating Mineral Projects

Evaluating Mineral Projects
Author: Thomas F. Torries
Publisher: SME
Total Pages: 176
Release: 1998
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780873351591

Designed to complement traditional engineering texts, this book emphasizes the concepts of mineral project evaluation rather than computational details. It describes various economic evaluation techniques typically employed (including conventional cost analysis, discounted cash flow, and option analysis), their uses, and their relationships with geological, technological, and financial evaluations.

The Business of Mining

The Business of Mining
Author: Odwyn Jones
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2018-12-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0429620535

The Business of Mining complete set of three Focus books will provide readers with a holistic all-embracing appraisal of the analytical tools available for assessing the economic viability of prospective mines. Each volume has a discrete focus. This second volume discusses, in some depth, alternative means of assessing the economic viability of mining projects based on the best estimate of the recoverable mineral and/or fossil fuel reserves. The books were written primarily for undergraduate applied geologists, mining engineers and extractive metallurgists and those pursuing course-based postgraduate programs in mineral economics. However, the complete series will also be an extremely useful reference text for practicing mining professionals as well as for consultant geologists, mining engineers or primary metallurgists.

Investigation of Factors Influencing the Determination of Discount Rate in the Economic Evaluation of Mineral Development Projects

Investigation of Factors Influencing the Determination of Discount Rate in the Economic Evaluation of Mineral Development Projects
Author: Sang-Jeong Park
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

For the evaluation of mineral development projects, it is imperative to consider the risks involved in mineral exploration and development and to bear in mind that an adjustment for these risks is a common practice which implies raising the minimum discount rate. A company may for instance use different discount rates depending on the different risks involved so as to compensate for the variability of success. In determining a discount rate, an organization should follow this rule The greater the risk, the higher the discount rate should be. The discount rate will have a great influence on the economic evaluation of mineral projects. All other factors used for calculating the NPV (Net Present Value) being equal, the project at hand may be accepted or rejected depending upon the discount rate, and the fluctuation of the NPV from positive to negative. It must be pointed out that the determination of the discount rate is the most difficult and vital aspect of cash-flow analysis. In practice however the discount rate is usually fixed by top management and then delegated to the respective departments responsible for actual economic evaluation of the investment alternatives. A major problem in determining the appropriate discount rate is that it effectively depends more on subjective perception of the degree of risk or other past experience factors than on a systematic approach. By using a risk-free rate of return, plus a subjectively determined risk premium, a discount rate may be developed, which is expected to compensate the investor for the extra risk involved. In practice the selection of risk-free rate of return is relatively simple. In most cases, the yield on government bonds, under non-inflationary conditions, is adopted as the risk-free rate of return. The real problem lies in the choice of the risk premium which must be adequately adapted to compensate for the additional risks associated with the investment under consideration. Consideration of proper conditions in respect of a specific project under economic evaluation should help to determine the risk premium. The risk premium should be entirely dependent on the risks influencing the mineral development project. All possible risks affecting a mineral development project under consideration should be taken into account, when determining an appropriate risk premium. This is a stupendous task and will imply a large number of risks, which will no doubt make the determination very difficult to tackle and use. Furthermore, there are naturally numerous difficulties in structuring an analysis with many factors, because it is complex and multi-faceted. In order to facilitate the implementation of the determination, there are usually a definite number of key risks to be observed. Risks, crucial for success of the mineral development project, are classified as follows: -- Technical risk - reserve, completion, production -- Economical risk price, demand, foreign exchange -- Political risk currency conversion, environment, tax, nationalization From the review of factors influencing the determination of discount rate carried out (Section 4), it is concluded that the quantitative methodology for discount rate should be a process of identifying potential factors (risks), analyzing factors to determine those that have the greatest impact on mineral development, and determining discount rate. It is therefore imperative to find a method whereby all mining risks, together with their probability and impact, and an understanding of the combined effect of all risks attached to the cash flow and the rate of return. Thus then a way of a procedure calculating risk scores is required. Existing knowledge should therefore be used optimally to determine discount rate.

An Integrated Risk Evaluation Model for Mineral Deposits

An Integrated Risk Evaluation Model for Mineral Deposits
Author: Grant Nicholas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2014
Genre: Mines and mineral resources
ISBN:

The core asset of most mining companies is its mineral resources and reserves. The company produces ore from its reserves, which is a subset of its mineral resources associated with varying levels of geoscientific confidence and uncertainty. One of the key evaluation challenges is to distil technical complexity into a financial model that is usually designed to focus only on one or two key valuation indicators, such as net present value (NPV) or internal rate of return (IRR). The driver behind this research was whether conventional evaluation techniques for mineral projects can evaluate accurately both the spatial and temporal characteristics of project risks in financial terms, due to their inherent nature to understate the true variance, and under-value or over-value the actual NPV. How can conventional evaluation methods be compared to an innovative, integrated evaluation technique that quantifies the non-linear impacts of spatial resource variables on production constraints in financial terms, measured at the appropriate temporal scale? To answer these questions, this research focused on developing an innovative risk evaluation methodology for two different diamond deposits and one gold deposit to incorporate spatial, non-spatial and financial data across the evaluation pipeline. The author developed an integrated evaluation modelling (IEM) framework based on a unique bottom-up methodology that follows every estimation block through the mining and processing value chain, i.e., it accurately captures the spatial variability of all relevant value chain variables in the ground and their correlated impacts on production constraints such as grade, density and processing characteristics. This variability is propagated through the processing value chain at a mining block (or selective mining unit, "SMU") scale. The IEM approach revealed differences in NPV between a 'bottom-up' (or Local) evaluation method and a 'top-down' (or Global) evaluation method - see Figure 1. While the actual NPV for the virtual ore body (VBod) was CAD 2.1 million, the figure shows that the local evaluation method (bottom-up) more closely approximated the actual NPV of the project than the global (top-down) evaluation method, which materially over-estimated the NPV. The author demonstrated that cash flow constituents derived from annual estimates in a top-down approach will not correctly reflect the asymmetries due to operational variability on a local, daily basis. The 'bottom-up' evaluation method represented a more accurate way of deriving annual cash flow estimates needed to make decisions on projects by accumulating the appropriate values from a bottom-up approach, i.e. daily, monthly, quarterly then derive annual estimates for NPV forecasts. The two main advantages of the IEM methodology are that firstly, it accurately reproduces the spatial resource characteristics of blocks at the appropriate temporal scale; and secondly, direct linkages are created between the resource-reserve-financial models within a single software environment. This allows multiple scenarios to be rapidly assessed for a mineral project and the cost/benefits of implementing risk mitigation strategies to be easily evaluated. This research also quantifies the financial impact of managerial flexibilities by evaluating selected hedging strategies that simultaneously consider production and economic uncertainties within an IEM framework. All modelled outputs are calculated in NPV terms using a modified DCF approach. The importance of linkages within an IEM framework is validated between unsystematic risks, with respect to key resource-to-reserve stochastic variables, and systematic risks considering the impact of foreign exchange rates. The author concludes that the greater the variability of key systematic and unsystematic variables, the more the mine has to consider flexibility in its mining and processing schedules and management hedging strategies; but the real costs of attaining that flexibility needs to be evaluated using an IEM framework. The confidence in a NPV estimate for complex mineral projects cannot easily be quantified using any closed-form analytical or mathematical solution. Complex, non-linear relationships between resources, reserves, financial and economic parameters requires a simulation model based on an IEM framework to provide a robust solution.

Economic Evaluations in Exploration

Economic Evaluations in Exploration
Author: Friedrich-Wilhelm Wellmer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2007-11-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3540735593

This fully updated textbook is intended for the economic geologist who deals with the evaluation of deposits at an early stage of development. It offers rules for quick and easy calculations based on the application of approximate data. It provides both the student and the geologist in the field with a complete set of rules and methods enabling them to perform a quick initial evaluation of the deposit without the support of specialists or computers – even if he is left to his own resources. All rules for calculations are illustrated with examples, and mistakes and pitfalls the authors encountered during their careers are pointed out.

Mineral Property Evaluation

Mineral Property Evaluation
Author: Richard L. Bullock
Publisher: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2017-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0873354451

“Everything” sums up what must be considered for a properly documented property evaluation. Less than 30% of the projects that are developed in the minerals industry yield the return on investment that was projected from the project feasibility studies. The tools described in this handbook will greatly improve the probability of meeting your projections and minimizing project execution capital cost blowout that has become so prevalent in this industry in recent years. Mineral Property Evaluation provides guidelines to follow in performing mineral property feasibility and evaluation studies and due diligence, and in preparing proper documents for bankable presentations. It highlights the need for a consistent, systematic methodology in performing evaluation and feasibility work. The objective of a feasibility and evaluation study should be to assess the value of the undeveloped or developed mineral property and to convey these findings to the company that is considering applying technical and physical changes to bring the property into production of a mineral product. The analysis needs to determine the net present worth returned to the company for investing in these changes and to reach that decision point as early as possible and with the least amount of money spent on the evaluation study. All resources are not reserves, nor are all minerals an ore. The successful conclusion of any property evaluation depends on the development, work, and conclusions of the project team. The handbook has a diverse audience: • Professionals in the minerals industry that perform mineral property evaluations. • Companies that have mineral properties and perform mineral property feasibility studies and evaluations or are buying properties based on property evaluation. • Financial institutions, both domestic and overseas, that finance or raise capital for the minerals industry. • Consulting firms and architectural and engineering contractors that utilize mineral property feasibility studies and need standards to follow. • And probably the most important, the mining and geological engineering students and geology and economic geology students that need to learn the standards that they should follow throughout their careers.

Metals And Energy Finance: Advanced Textbook On The Evaluation Of Mineral And Energy Projects

Metals And Energy Finance: Advanced Textbook On The Evaluation Of Mineral And Energy Projects
Author: Dennis L Buchanan
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2015-11-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1783268530

Given the design component it involves, financial engineering should be considered equal to conventional engineering. By adopting this complementary approach, financial models can be used to identify how and why timing is critical in optimizing return on investment and to demonstrate how financial engineering can enhance returns to investors. Metals and Energy Finance capitalizes on this approach, and identifies and examines the investment opportunities offered across the extractive industry's cycle, from exploration through evaluation, pre-production development, development and production. The textbook also addresses the similarities of a range of natural resource projects, whether minerals or petroleum, while at the same time identifying their key differences.This innovative textbook is clear and concise in its approach, and is illustrated throughout with case studies and exercises used at professional training sessions. As the sum of 45 years' international experience in industry and teaching mining geology, mineral exploration and mineral project appraisal, Metals and Energy Finance will be invaluable to both professionals and graduate students working in the field of mineral and petroleum business management.