Abstract

A history of capital projects in the mining industry has showcased examples of successes in execution, and at the other end of the spectrum examples of expensive lessons learned.  This discussion is intended to share the experiences of a group of senior project personnel with respect to strategies and actions that could assist in avoiding pitfalls in the execution of future mining projects.  A number of lessons learned and key considerations will be presented, keeping in mind that every project is unique, and an all-encompassing set of tools that works for all projects does not exist.  In addition, some upcoming challenges that the mining project world will face in the years to come will be presented.

Biography of the presenter

George Greer, a mining engineer by trade, has worked for close to 40 years in the mining industry for various companies including Inco Ltd., Lac Minerals, Barrick Gold, and Vale. For the past 24 years, Mr. Greer has worked exclusively in the capital project field in overseeing underground, surface plant, and infrastructure projects from the detail engineering stage through to construction and commissioning. Currently George is Sr. Vice President Project Development for Pan American Silver Corp., directing Pan American Silver's large capital projects in Mexico and South America.