Consulting · Scheduling
Life of Mine Planning & Scheduling
Strategic life-of-mine schedules and life of mine planning that sequence extraction, sustain production and maximise value over the full life of the asset — the backbone of long-term mine planning.
The value is in the sequence
When you mine it matters as much as what you mine
The life-of-mine schedule is where a mine's value is made or lost. The same orebody can deliver very different returns depending on how extraction is sequenced, how grade is blended, and how capital and development are staged over time.
We deliver life of mine planning and strategic LOM schedules that turn designs and reserves into a practical, value-maximising production plan.
Net present value rewards good sequencing: bring value forward, defer cost, and keep the plant fed.
Scope
What our scheduling service covers
Strategic LOM schedule
An integrated long-term schedule across the full mine life, aligned to reserves and designs.
Production sequencing
Sequencing and staging of pits, pushbacks or stopes to optimise grade and cash flow.
Value optimisation
Schedules tuned to maximise NPV through grade streaming, cut-off and blending strategy.
Development & capital staging
Phasing of pre-strip, capital development and infrastructure to match production needs.
Constraint modelling
Equipment, development rates, processing capacity and logistics built into the schedule.
Scenario & risk analysis
Stress-testing the schedule against price, productivity and grade scenarios.
Outcomes
A plan that delivers
- A defensible long-term schedule that underpins reserves, valuation and budgets
- Production smoothed and value brought forward within practical constraints
- Clear staging of capital, development and infrastructure over the mine life
- Schedules reconciled to designs, equipment and processing capacity
- Scenario analysis that exposes schedule risk before it reaches the budget
FAQ
LOM scheduling, answered
What is a life-of-mine schedule?
A life-of-mine (LoM) schedule sequences the extraction of an orebody from first development to closure — balancing grade, development metres, plant capacity and operational constraints to define what is mined, when, at what rate and at what cost. It is the backbone that connects the Ore Reserve to budgets, cash flow and valuation.
Why does scheduling affect project value?
Because discounting makes timing itself valuable. Bringing higher-margin material forward, deferring capital and smoothing production can lift net present value materially without changing the orebody — so we test sequence, cut-off strategy and production rate together, quantifying each alternative in the economic model.
How does LoM scheduling relate to optimisation?
Optimisation defines the best envelope and economic settings — pit shells, cut-off grades, method and scale. LoM scheduling turns that optimised inventory into a practical sequence that honours development, ventilation, geotechnical and equipment constraints. We iterate the two so the value identified in optimisation survives contact with real mining.
Sources: AusIMM Study Processes Handbook — Monograph 35 (2024) · AusIMM codes & standards
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Need a life-of-mine schedule that holds?
Tell us the reserve, the plant capacity and the horizon, and we will scope the sequencing work.