A mine's future footprint starts taking shape long before production. Choices about where to drill, how to access a site and where to place supporting infrastructure can affect the feasibility and cost of development years later.
In the first Common Ground session, presented by VBKOM and Axiom Group, we looked at why early environmental understanding matters, particularly for junior miners working within tight budgets. The takeaway covers five key insights:
- The footprint starts earlier than the mine plan
- Use exploration to build the environmental picture
- A bigger resource is not automatically a better project
- Maps are essential. Conversations reveal what maps miss
- Keep the evidence alive as the project evolves
It also sets out five questions worth asking early, for exploration managers, technical specialists and investment decision-makers.
Download the Session 1 takeaway (PDF)