El Soldado — Technology Modernisation Business Case

Anglo American required IMC to quantify the operational and financial implications of deploying a technological modernisation and automation solution at the El Soldado Copper Mine in Chile.

The client needed to justify the business case for implementing new technologies on site. IMC were then required to re-optimise the strategic plan while considering incorporation of the new technology.

The total strategic planning methodology was reconsidered to fully realise the potential value of alternative technologies.

Initially, IMC completed a comprehensive optimisation process consisting of pit optimisation, detailed mine design options, and NPV-optimised strategic scheduling. This was followed by a tactical plan validation and subsequent bottom-up cost modelling by the business evaluation team.

IMC Mining was able to demonstrate which technologies would achieve the most impact on site in terms of practical application and value benefit to the project.

The integrated approach — from pit optimisation through scheduling to cost modelling — provided a defensible, end-to-end business case for the technology investment.