MEC was approached by a Central Queensland Coal Mine to develop an optimal rehabilitation plan. The client needed to accurately estimate rehabilitation costs, ensure the rehabilitation plan was cost effective and provide confidence to the government of the value of the environmental bond. MEC optimised the rehabilitation plan using our in-house evaluation and simulation process:

• Our specialist software was used to solve for both cut/fill and cost.
  • Reshaping volume decreased by 10-60%
• The split between dozer and truck shovel was optimised.
  • Reduces cost by 10-40%
• The distance, direction and grade of the dozer push was optimised to achieve the maximum dozer productivity.
  • Productivity up 10-40%
• A 3D simulation and cost model was developed to support the detailed rehabilitation plan.

The project provided management and government authorities a high level of understanding of the rehabilitation process and the estimated costs for the mine closure.