MINING
Liability does not disappear
Mine closure should build a bridge to what comes next …
By Marietjie Reynecke, Discipline Lead: Closure, WSP in Africa
Mine closure has changed considerably over the past few decades. Environmental obligations have strengthened, financial provision has become more formalised, and the social consequences of a mine closing receive far more attention than they once did.
However, when budgets tighten, closure work can be one of the easier things to push out because its consequences do not feel as immediate as the day-to-day demands of running the mine. Rehabilitation may be deferred, and longer-term planning may be allowed to slip, even though the liability does not disappear.
Yet, that delay can carry a cost of its own. One of the biggest closure risks is allowing short-term operational and financial pressures to shape decisions that increase the liability the operation will eventually have to address.
44 sabusinessintegrator. co. za