Mining Engineering

We optimise operating open-pit and underground mines, design and schedule open-pit and underground mines, estimate ore reserves, set and evaluate mining strategy.

Optiro’s mining engineers have international experience in all facets of mining engineering from the design of pits and scheduling of complex grade constraints to life of mine and financial modelling.

We complete mining studies from conceptual/scoping level to detailed feasibility studies and implementation plans. This experience also covers open-pit to underground transition.  Optiro has recently completed mining studies for underground and open-pit gold operations, a coal operations, an open-pit poly-metallic operation in Australia and life of mine studies for underground mines in Africa and Australia.

Optiro has experience in the development and application of mine planning systems, open-pit optimisations, Ore Reserve estimation, mine design and engineering. Optiro is able to develop detailed schedules using industry standard systems and cost models for decision support and valuation.  Our mining engineering team has a broad understanding and appreciation of geological and geo-technical considerations in mine planning.

Optiro has developed an internationally recognised system for the audit and evaluation of Ore Reserve estimates and the assessment of compliance to JORC, SOX and other international standards. The system indentifies the level of compliance to industry best-practice and provides a risk-based series of actions required to address the desired levels of compliance.

Our international operational experience in large and small open-pit and underground mines covers a wide range of commodities and operation types including conventional cone pits and strip mining from mineral sands to oil sands. Commodities covered have been across the spectrum, with recent concentration on iron ore, base metals, coal, gold and uranium.

We are also capable of undertaking operational reviews of mine safety systems and their implementation. A recent assignment involved a group wide safety system application review for a multi-national minerals producer.
The Optiro name was coined from “Optimising Resources”.

As such operational optimisation is at the core of our mining engineering skills.  Further information on our activities in this area may be found on page 8 of this profile.