114 Open pit mine planning and design: Fundamentals

Table 2.27. Cost information (Canadian $) for the Huckleberry Mine (CMJ, 2004).

1. Location: Houston, British Columbia, Canada

2. Pit geometry
(a) Pit size at surface: 1050 m x 600 m
(b) Pit depth: 320 m
(c) Bench height: 12 m
(d) Bench face angle: 70°
(e) Berm width: 10 m
(f) Road grade: 10%
(g) Slope angle: 52°

3. Capacity
(a) Mining: ore = 21,000 mtpd
waste = 44,000 mtpd
ore and waste = 19,034,000 tonnes (actual)
(b) Milling: capacity = 20,333 mtpd
(c) ore = 7,422,000 tonnes (actual)
mill heads = 0.534% Cu, 0.014% Mo
minerals recovered = Cu, Mo
recovery = 88.38% Cu, 47.54% Mo
concentrate grade = 27.19% Cu, 48.73% Mo
principal processes: SAG & ball milling, bulk float,
regrinding & dewatering, Moly float, Cu-Mo
separation, float and regrinding.

4. Pit equipment
(a) Ore and waste loading = 1 P&H 1900AL shovel
1 P&H 2100BL shovel
1 Cat 992C FEL
1 Cat 416
(b) Ore and waste haulage = 5 Cat 777C trucks
4 Cat 785B trucks
1 Cat 777B truck
(c) Other = 2 Cat D9N dozers
2 Cat D8N dozers
1 Cat DION dozer
1 Cat 824 RTD
2 Cat 16G graders
1 Hitachi excavator
1 Cat 769 water truck

5. Blasting in ore and waste

(a) Emulsion
(b) Powder factor (kg/t) = 0.20
(c) Loading factor (kg/m 3 ) = 0.54
6. Drilling in ore and waste
(a) Drills = 2 Bucyrus-Erie 60R
(b) Hole diameter = 251 mm
(c) Pattern (burden x spacing) = 7.5 m x 7.5 m to 9.3 m x 9.3 m offset & wall control
(d) Drilling per shift = 140 m
(e) Tons/m = 177
(f) Bit life = 2227 m
(g) Rod life = NA

(Continued)
 8. Estimated operating costs. (Continued)

Company, Operation Minerals Unit cost Underground Open pit Mineral G &A Total source year
recovered mining cost/t mining cost/t procès, operating
cost/t cost/t

Osisko, Au $319/oz Au $1.52 $3.27 $0.60/t FS 2008

Canadian Malartic
Rainy River, Au $50.00 $1.00 $7.00 $1.25/t pit 43-101 2009
Rainy River $7.50/t
UG
Shore Gold, Diamonds $1.60 $3.29 $1.65 43-101 2009
Orion South
Shore Gold, Star Diamonds $6.29 ore $3.29 $1.65/t $15.88 PFS 2009
Starfleld, Ni-Cu $49.98 (ore) $2.88 (moved) $18.89 $7.89 $84.54 2008
Ferguson Lake
Taseko, Gibraltar Cu-Mo $3.41 ore $2.24 $6.15 43-101 2007
Taseko, Prosperity Cu-Au $2.27 $3.55 $6.26 FS 2007
Terrane, Cu-Au US$0.17/lb Cu $2.35 $3.89 $0.57 $6.96 FS 2009
Mount Milligan US$51/oz Au LOM
Thompson Creek, Cu-Mo $0.69 + $4.45 43-101 2007
Endako Var. haulage
Victory Nickel, Minago Ni US$3.09/lb Ni $5.12 $8.86 $9.87 $0.87 $40.96 PEA 2006
Western Copper, Cu-Au US$0.98/lb Ni $9.98 $7.64 $19.22 FS 2007
Camacks (LOM)
Western Copper, Cu-Au $3.24 $6.01 $0.47 $9.72 PFS 2008
Casino
Western Troy, Cu-Mo US$470/oz Ni $7.06 $9.39 $157.90 PEA 2008
MacLeod Lake

Notes:
In section 1, only open pit metal mines are included. Mines producing coal or oil sands are not included.
For sections 2 through 7, only data from the mines listed in section 1 are included.
Section 8, includes all open pit metal mines. Many were not listed in section 1. Some also have underground operations.
The estimated costs in section 8 are not as detailed as those costs included in section 9, of older versions of the Sourcebook.