When leading a mining study, where do you start?

When you’re asked to lead a study on a mining project, you’ll have plenty of questions. What’s your directive and framework? What are the constraints? What minimum standards will apply? And where’s your technical support?

No capital-intensive project is entirely risk-free, but the challenge of minimising risk can be simplified by having a clear understanding of what you should know at each stage of the study process.

The right decisions start with the right questions and the right data at the right time.

This is what a robust Capital Investment System offers – a disciplined and rigorous approach to the evaluation of mining projects.

It’s a system for investigating, recommending and executing capital investments.

The Enthalpy Capital Investment System ensures there is common understanding and a consistent approach in evaluating opportunities. The system comprises:

  • Policies
  • Policy Manuals
  • Minimum Standards
  • Toolkits

The key principles of a capital investment system are:

  1. It’s a phased approach

Each phase has different objectives, methodologies and progression, and control points that determine the level of cost exposure. Independent Peer Reviews – an essential element of management’s decision-making structure – are carried out before approval to commit any shareholder funds.

  1. The focus is on investment delivery

Those responsible for promoting investments are also responsible for the delivery of outcomes, and there is sufficient allocation of resources to evaluate – by means of rigorous study and analysis – the development of an opportunity. The validity of predicted outcomes is tested by undertaking benchmarking.

  1. There’s a pipeline of projects

Companies must evaluate potential investments in the context of a portfolio of potential investments and ensure that only the best investments proceed.

  1. Continuous improvement measures are in place

The capital investment process continually evolves and improves. Completion reviews are conducted so that actual outcomes can be compared against planned outcomes, and any learnings incorporated for future evaluations.

Enthalpy’s thorough planning in bringing together the right people, processes and platforms will support you at every phase, from finding and defining the best investment case to fully integrating your study at technical, project and business levels.

Learn more about Enthalpy’s Capital Investment System.