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<p>Strategic mine planning decisions- particularly cut-off grades (COGs) and production capacities- strongly influence both the economic and environmental performance of mining projects. Conventional approaches typically optimize these variables independently, overlooking their interdependence and limiting opportunities for value creation. This study introduces a two-stage optimization framework that simultaneously optimizes COGs and production capacities across mining, pre-concentration, and processing stages while explicitly incorporating sustainability trade-offs. The model extends Lane’s opportunity-cost approach to accommodate multiple processing pathways, spatial grade variability, economies of scale, capital recovery, and monetized environmental impacts. In the first stage, dynamic COGs and capacities are optimized at the increment level to capture local geological conditions. In the second stage, aggregated strategic capacities are imposed and COGs are re-optimized under fixed infrastructure constraints. Applied to a copper deposit case study, the framework yields a consistent net present value improvement of over 5% relative to a fixed-capacity reference case. The results demonstrate that integrated, sustainability-oriented optimization can materially enhance long-term mine value while supporting more environmentally responsible planning.</p>

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Two-stage joint optimization of cut-off grades and production capacities for sustainable mine planning

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月11日

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  • Hamza Khalifi,
  • Bassma Azzamouri,
  • Yassine Taha,
  • Mostafa Benzaazoua,
  • Abdellatif Elghali

摘要

Strategic mine planning decisions- particularly cut-off grades (COGs) and production capacities- strongly influence both the economic and environmental performance of mining projects. Conventional approaches typically optimize these variables independently, overlooking their interdependence and limiting opportunities for value creation. This study introduces a two-stage optimization framework that simultaneously optimizes COGs and production capacities across mining, pre-concentration, and processing stages while explicitly incorporating sustainability trade-offs. The model extends Lane’s opportunity-cost approach to accommodate multiple processing pathways, spatial grade variability, economies of scale, capital recovery, and monetized environmental impacts. In the first stage, dynamic COGs and capacities are optimized at the increment level to capture local geological conditions. In the second stage, aggregated strategic capacities are imposed and COGs are re-optimized under fixed infrastructure constraints. Applied to a copper deposit case study, the framework yields a consistent net present value improvement of over 5% relative to a fixed-capacity reference case. The results demonstrate that integrated, sustainability-oriented optimization can materially enhance long-term mine value while supporting more environmentally responsible planning.