Avaliação dos benefícios econômicos da abordagem do planejamento de lavra estratégico robusto

Abstract

Mining planning is crucial for the economic feasibility study of a mining venture, especially due to the high associated risk. One of the most important stages of strategic mine planning is the economic evaluation of the project, which involves the analysis of various factors, including the valuation of mining projects. The research aimed to evaluate the economic benefits of the robust strategic mine planning approach. To achieve this goal, a comparison was made between the results of the economic evaluation obtained from the conventional mine planning approach and those obtained from the robust mine planning approach, using a real database from a lithium project. The classical mine planning approach determined parameters without conducting an analysis of the individual impacts of their variations on the financial model. On the other hand, the robust mine planning methodology generated multiple scenarios, allowing the analysis of the chosen factors in the financial model. The economic analysis of the project was evaluated using discounted cash flow. The impacts on financial indicators, net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period were analyzed. The results revealed that the robust approach based on design of experiments yielded superior financial results in various scenarios compared to the classical approach. Additionally, the parameters that most influenced the financial indicators were mapped, including the selling price, interramp angles, and annual production rate. Finally, it is important to highlight the significance of considering the robust approach and the influence of mine planning parameters in economic evaluation, as the results obtained from this approach have the potential to guide strategic decisions to maximize the economic viability of mining projects.