The Anatomy of a Mine - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 200

Rehabilitation

Topsoil
Placement

Overburden
Dumping

Overburden
Drilling and
Blasting

Land Clearing
Topsoil Removal

Overburden
Removal

Coal Drilling
and Blasting

Coal Mining

Coal
Preparation

Coal Sh ipment

Port
Stockpile

Overland
Conveyor

Coal Washing
(optional)

FIGURE 4.13
Common Activities in Surface Coal
Mining

Once the mine is in full operation, as new information about the ore body emerges,
assumptions made at the feasibility stage may prove to be inaccurate or irrelevant, so that
actual operations differ from planned operations; also market conditions may vary signif-
icantly from original assumptions, forcing variations from the original plan. Therefore,
while good developmental planning is essential, operational management has to be well

Open cast mining suits topsoil manage-
ment uniquely. The rate of rehabilita-
tion is similar to the rate of mining. To
a large extent, direct return of topsoil
is possible eliminating the need for
extensive topsoil stockpiling.

CASE 4.5
Expanding INCO's Nickel Mining Operation
in Sulawesi, Indonesia

INCO has operated this large scale nickel mining operation
for decades. Since traditional nickel ore processing using
smelting is very energy intensive, INCO is fortunate that
its operation in Indonesia can rely to a large extent on its
own hydro-electric power generating scheme. As the mine
expanded INCO commenced planning of a third hydropower
scheme as early as 2000. The environmental permitting of
the new scheme was obtained in 2002. In December 2004
the Department of Forestry notifi ed the company that an
additional forestry permit is required before dam construc-
tion can begin. Obtaining the permit delayed the project by
more than two years with a fi nancial loss to the company
and eventually to the Government of Indonesia amounting to
millions of US dollars.

Source:
The Jakarta Post, 07 November 2006.