Scoping
Agapito Associates, Inc. (AAI) offers a diversified and knowledgeable professional group with the necessary technical expertise, industry experience, and long-range vision to guide mining projects from their earliest conceptual stage through later-stage prefeasibility and feasibility studies.
AAI understands the critical issues and up-front risks that can launch or sink an underground, surface, or solution mining project right out of the gate. We deliver value by getting to the key concerns quickly and providing realistic assessments for reliable decision making. AAI has completed numerous front-end evaluations for clients in potash, trona, coal, oil shale, and other minerals.
Scoping studies are the first attempt to conceptualize the mine plan, infrastructure, capital and operating costs, risks and potential fatal flaws to support the decision to continue the project to the next level of feasibility. Scoping studies are synonymous with Preliminary Assessments, Desk Top Studies and Order of Magnitude Assessments. Generally, this type of study will result in capital and operating costs with an accuracy of plus or minus 50%. Aspects of the scoping study can include:
- Concept evaluation
- Mining method selection
- Preliminary selection of mining equipment
- Due diligence of maturing projects
- Mine and process planning
- Evaluation of infrastructure needs
- Assessment of adequacy of the resource base
- Recommendation for additional exploration drilling and core analysis
- Evaluation of permitting requirements
- Preparation of 43-101 compliant Technical Report on resource
- Risk assessment
- Fatal flaw analysis
- Capital and operating cost estimation
- Financial analysis
