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By Eric Jacobs

"Building and operating tunnels has been a highstakes endeavor in terms of costs, complexity, safety and impact on contractors, owners and the public for a long time. There are many variables that need to be closely monitored and managed to construct a tunnel on-time, on-budget and safely. Once built, there are also many elements that need to be monitored and managed to operate a tunnel safely and efficiently.Fundamentally, the risks to the safe and efficient construction and operation of a tunnel are a function of the degree of harm and the likelihood of the harm occurring. From a cyber security perspective, risk assessments used to inform decision makers and support risk responses are typically based on identification of relevant threats; internal and external vulnerabilities; the impact that may occur given the potential for threats to exploit vulnerabilities and the likelihood that harm will occur. This article focuses on creating awareness of vulnerabilities associated with technology used in tunnel construction and operation and some of the challenges associated with remediation of these vulnerabilities. As we all know, technology has been evolving at an accelerating pace and infiltrating every aspect of our lives in new and often exciting ways. In the world of tunneling, sensors and systems that provide position and time have become accurate, rugged and cost-effective enough to come out of the research labs and into the equipment and systems used every day. There are many opportunities to employ connected computing devices and sensors to costeffectively capture, integrate and analyze key data with minimal latency to manage risk better, improve safety and avoid surprises."

Jun 1, 2019

By Manish Kumar Jain

The mineral industry in India is an important contributor to the country?s GDP and foreign trade, and also a significant source of employment generation. The industry is distributed almost all across the country and has operations in some of the remotest areas, where it has also served as a sole source of infrastructure development. India produces 89 minerals, out of which four are fuel minerals, 11 metallic, 52 non-metallic and 22 minor minerals. The mining leases are occupying about 0.21% of the total land mass of the country. Indian mining industry is characterized by a large number of small operational mines (approx 3000 mines). Appropriate systems have been put in place to ensure sustainable growth of the sector, which include formulation of procedures for scientific prospecting and mining and development of a mechanism of prior environmental and forest clearances for mining projects. Main emphasis is to protect the health and safety of mine workers, as well as to safeguard the interests of indigenous people through rehabilitation and resettlement packages. Efforts are under way to mainstream the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in order to promote equity in the mining industry. The issue of scientific closure and reclamation of the abandoned mine sites poses a major challenge. Present paper illustrated several initiatives have been taken in this direction along with case studies, which could be replicated in other parts of the country.

Aug 1, 2013

By V. Bazhko, V. Yahorava

The calcium sulphate waste stream of the wet phosphoric acid process, commonly called phosphogypsum (PG), contains the majority of rare earth elements (REE) initially present in the apatite feedstock. Mainly light and middle REE are present in PG and their total concentration ranges from 0.27% to 0.35% by mass. Worldwide, around 7 billion tonnes of PG have been produced to date at a current growth rate of 150-200 million tonnes per annum. In total, an estimated 21 million tonnes of REE are locked in PG waste dumps around the world. Due to the value of the REE contained in PG dumps a number of processes have been devised for their recovery. The majority of these processes applied complete or partial gypsum dissolution, but were deemed not viable due to high capital and operating costs. Mintek developed an alternative method for the recovery of REE from PG by applying Resin-in-Leach (RIL) technology. This technology was tested on PG sampled from dumps and current arisings from South African phosphoric acid production plants. The extensive testwork program included evaluation of various lixiviants and optimisation of lixiviant additions, optimisation of REE leach and adsorption conditions, batch equilibrium and kinetic adsorption tests, continuous RIL testwork and numerous variability tests. It was found that PG from different sources was highly variable, both in terms of REE recovery as well as physical properties of the material such as viscosity and filterability of the slurry. The recovery of REE varied from 15% to 80% depending on the origin of the samples. A high-level economic study indicated that at a price of >21 $/kg for mixed REE oxide product in conjunction with an overall REE recovery as low as 15% the economics of REE recovery from PG via RIL technology may already be favourable.

Jan 1, 2016

By T. Bhambhani, O. Yavuzkan, D. R. Nagaraj

"The recovery of oxide Cu minerals by flotation is a longstanding challenge in the minerals industry, especially for high acid-consuming ores which would not be economical for direct acid leaching. Sulfidization (often using controlled potential sulfidization or CPS) using NaSH (or Na2S) followed by flotation using traditional sulfide collectors is the widely used technique. CPS has certain limitations: a) inability to recover certain oxide Cu minerals because they are refractory to sulfidization, b) high consumption of NaSH (or Na2S), and c) potential health and safety hazards associated with NaSH (and Na2S). Flotation of oxide copper minerals using alkyl hydroxamate (AHX) collector has been studied extensively. Investigations using single minerals and laboratory ore flotation have been conducted in the past to demonstrate the efficacy of alkyl hydroxamates. The technology has been used intermittently in plants. One of the main challenges in plant use has been quantifying the true potential for alkyl hydroxamates for recovery of various oxide Cu species in complex and variable ore systems and identifying the most suitable conditions for optimal use. Quantitative mineralogical analysis using QEMSCAN was used in this study to characterize flotation products lab flotation samples. Analysis of concentrates and tails from hydroxamate flotation and CPS flotation stages demonstrated that certain oxide Cu minerals respond exclusively to alkyl hydroxamates and not to CPS. The hierarchy of interaction of AHX with the various oxide Cu minerals could be inferred from these studies. Finally, these studies also allowed quantification of a group of minerals species, which (erroneously) report as part of the Acid-Soluble Cu [ASCu] but cannot be recovered by flotation, thereby facilitating an estimation of the true recovery potential for alkyl hydroxamate.INTRODUCTIONCopper that is economically recoverable occurs in three major types of ores, which are defined by the modal mineralogy of Cu. For sulfide ores, Cu occurs as sulfide minerals and is satisfactorily recovered by flotation using sulfide collectors. Non-sulfide ores, which contain Cu in the form of oxides, phosphates, carbonates and silicates, described in the industry as “oxide” ores (or ores containing “acid-soluble” Cu or ASCu), are currently treated using hydrometallurgy, which involves leaching with dilute sulfuric acid followed by solvent extraction and electrowinning, unless the ores contain acid consuming gangue minerals such as dolomite. For mixed sulfide-oxide ores (i.e. containing both sulfide and oxide Cu minerals) that do not contain acid consuming gangue minerals, Cu values are easily recovered by flotation of sulfide Cu minerals followed by leaching of oxides (only when a leach plant is available). However, when the ore contains acid consuming gangue minerals flotation is required to recover both sulfide and oxide Cu minerals."

Jan 1, 2018

By G Danckert

The key technical theme of ‘orebody knowledge’ has been applied by Rio Tinto in the Pilbara iron ore precinct from 1966, when operations first started there. It forms the basis of present day application, as well as planning for the future.This paper will review how the early towns and mines commenced and how they formed the basis of Rio Tinto’s early operations, on which the Pilbara precinct has been based. A profile of the last decade of Pilbara growth will be highlighted, together with the current integrated network of mines, rail and ports and the next generation of expansions.The paper will specifically describe the Rio Tinto process of significant resource evaluation, including comprehensive drilling programs and the conversion from resource to reserves. It will also describe the overall mine planning process, both from the strategic view, as well as for short-term mine plans.The ability to innovate in resource development will be discussed. This will include not only the technical dimension of changing cut off grades, use of low-grade ores and managing low-grade stockpiling and beneficiation, but also the broader application of new technology and innovation in the iron ore business.

Jul 11, 2011

By J Kwak

Driving sustainability concepts and practices into the heart of the design process is the key to achieving a successful, sustainable plant design. Engineering design practices, tools, systems and methodologies should be prepared around true eco-efficiency parameters, adopt wholesystems-thinking and consider life-cycle impacts for the design task. Experience dictates that the application of sustainable plant design practices is most likely to succeed if: The principles are well documented and explained. All stakeholders agree on what sustainability means. Sustainable plant design is treated as a core process. The principals of sustainable plant design are equally applicable in brownfield and Greenfield environments. Although brownfield situations provide the designer with less latitude for change, these types of projects do allow easier measurement and demonstration of relative impacts. This paper further develops the above points by drawing on case studies from HatchÆs repertoire.

Jan 1, 2004

By Y Akiti, J Moller, E Esper, R Rugolo, A Pains

"Morro do Ouro Mine is a high tonnage/low-grade mine located in Paracatu, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The mines move around 55 Mt of ore per year at an average grade of 0.4 g/t. The auriferous mineralisation of Morro do Ouro is related to hydrothermal fluids rich in arsenic (As), gold (Au), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). These percolated along favourable structures contained within phyllites of Upper Proterozoic age and defined a mineralised megaboudin which outcropped with 4 km extension and up to 2 km in width. The litologies in the interior of this structure are typically more deformed, sericitised and sulfidised, and exhibit the development of quartz boudins in the centre of the more deformed zones where are found the higher Au grades and the coarser sulfide crystals. Gold is preferentially associated with arsenopyrite, mainly occurring in fractures or aggregations of crystals and is rarely in solid solution or refractory. Over 90 per cent of the gold contained in the sulfide ore is free or extractable by cyanidisation. The current mineral reserve is 17.9 Mt at 0.403 g/t published at the end of 2012.In order to get a good grade estimation that represents the orebody more accurately a solids methodology was used to distinguish the different orebodies. Before 2011 the orebodies were worked with two domains relating to the weathered mantle. The B1 ore, which is oxidised, is located at the top of mineralisation, and is used to feed Plant 1. Underneath B2 ore, which is fresh sulfide bearing, represents over 30 years of production in Plant 2.In order to improve the predictability of gold grade estimation in geological modelling and to get a better predicting behaviour of each domain on the deposit, studies were carried out in which it was possible to show a correlation between elements and the mineralisation. One strong correlation and spatial distribution between Au and As, As and sulfur (S), Au and Pb, Au and Zn were found.Based on geochemistry, mineral correlations, amount of sulfide, structural deformation, texture of sulfides and the daily experience of the mine, it was possible to create solids that individualised bodies with similar mineralogical and chemical characteristics using the parameters listed above.After 2011, a new modelling concept was proposed and built with 11 different domains, compared with the previous, and with two more parameters: recovery acid neutralised capacity (ANC).Each of these bodies have different behaviours in mineral processing, like flotation and metallurgy. For example, bodies with pyrrhotite bring problems in the flotation, bodies with high arsenic do not recover well, bodies with high As with coarse texture have good recovery, bodies with fine texture do not have good adherence in production.In the present state of knowledge, protocols are being developed for bench testing to predict the recovery of each geochemical domain aiming to include these in the geological model for the parameter recovery. It is intended to create a field throughput in the model of ounces per hour, from each block of each domain to better predict the production, using the parameter recovery, Au and Bond Work Index (BWI).CITATION:Esper, E, Rugolo, R, Moller, J, Akiti, Y and Pains, A, 2013. Morro do Ouro geological model with a metallurgical view, in Proceedings The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2013, pp 67-74 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Sep 29, 2013

By G. Howell, J. Wates, A. Coetzee, C. J. MacRobert

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) requires mining companies to make four key appointments as part of their tailings management structure. These four positions are an Accountable Executive with policymaking responsibilities, a Responsible Tailings Facility Engineer with operational responsibility, an Engineer of Record to ensure facilities are designed, operated, and closed safely, and an Independent Tailings Review Board to assess safety drivers regularly. Little guidance on the traits of these individuals is available in a South African context. Consequently, the tailings community of practice was surveyed to develop a table of ideal competencies and establish the flexibility in meeting these traits.

Jun 2, 2022

By Theodore M. Katz, W. Stephen Brightwell, David E. LeGrande, Joseph J. Hurrell, Jane A. Lipscomb, Nancy Lessin, Lawrence R. Murphy, Michael J. Colligan, Steven L. Sauter, Richard A. Lippin

Revolutionary changes in the organization of work have far outpaced our knowledge about the implications of these changes for the quality of working life and for safety and health on the job. This gap in knowledge is one of the 21 priority areas for research under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)—a framework crafted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners to guide research into the next decade. This report was developed under NORA as the first attempt to develop a comprehensive research agenda for investigating and reducing occupational safety and health risks associated with the changing organization of work. Research and development needs identified in the agenda include (1) improved surveillance mechanisms to better track how the organization of work is changing, (2) accelerated research on safety and health implications of the changing organization of work, (3) increased research focus on organizational interventions to protect safety and health, and (4) steps to formalize and nurture organization of work as a distinctive field in occupational safety and health.

Jan 4, 2002

By O Bascur, A Soudek

Large metallurgical complexes are substantial users of energy, water and assets. To improve the effectiveness of energy and assets the quality of the data and events become paramount for real-time operational management. A lack of resources at the local operations and at the enterprise makes it impossible to process the sea of information and many projects have failed. As such, a novel approach for implementation of continuous improvements at the local level and innovations at the strategic level was implemented at all operating plants at Anglo American Platinum. Sixteen concentrators, three smelters and two refinery process systems were integrated to scale the information for manufacturing services at the local and enterprise level. The new capability of an enterprise real-time monitoring and diagnosis software infrastructure was available to implement many business strategies in tandem. Mineral and metallurgical processing knowledge is used to simplify the implementation of the data model. As such, asset monitoring, energy, production and process control management were implemented in an integrated approach reusing the same data but with different context and time horizons to have a standard methodology for local root cause analysis. This paper will highlight a sustainability management approach to change and empower the local and strategic team to collaborate using a new approach for adaptive reporting and condition-based event management and notifications. The results based on the integrated and collaborative team efforts will be presented. OSIsoft Plant Information system was installed and configured to achieve a targeted reduction in energy consumption of 15 per cent by 2015.CITATION:Bascur, O and Soudek, A, 2014. Implementation strategies for energy effectiveness and sustainability – example of Anglo American Platinum, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 101–108 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By C G. Sweeney

The underground mining industry is seeing unprecedented shortages in skilled labour. Migration to Australia being at an all-time low is a leading concern, with pandemic-induced border closures and lockdowns only exacerbating the skills shortage, not causing it. The skills shortage is forecast to peak in 2023 and remain high beyond 2025. With this skills shortage in mind, mining companies throughout Australia are trying to deal with stricter protocols around Health and Safety (H&S) legislation, as well as more stringent controls on quality assurance, particularly as underground mines are reaching greater depths and extending into ‘unchartered territory’. The cumulation of this is proving to be a major hurdle in ‘effective’ operational geotechnical management. The drive for automation in mining is bringing another level of complexity. However, ‘once automation is up and running, it presents the opportunity to access talent pools that may not normally be available. There is also a change in skillset that will be required to drive automation. ‘The top two emerging roles that will be critical for the future of the mining industry are artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) specialists, and process-automation specialists’ (Writer, 2021). If anything positive has come from the pandemic, it has shown that remote working can be effective and that the drive for automation and critical evaluation of skills required on-site should be given greater priority. UQ acknowledges that the industry is changing, and that digital technology is required to be offered in mining related disciplines. Industry and academia need to do more to promote geotechnical engineering in mining and balance the curriculum to suit the future of mining and make it more enticing. The average cost of a geotechnical failure is about $5 million in coalmines and can be into the hundreds of millions of dollars if production is affected (Cartledge Mining and Geotechnics, 2020). The cost of a good geotechnical design far outweighs the potential losses if a failure were to occur. This alludes to the growing importance of experienced geotechnical consultancies playing a pivotal role in managing mine site geotechnical hazards, while the industry is developing the next generation of geotechnical engineers.

Nov 29, 2022

By C. Kathryn Sole

The close proximity of cobalt and nickel on the Periodic Table and their frequent occurrence together in nature means that their separation in primary hydrometallurgical flowsheets is not only often necessary, but requires the use of innovative chemistry to achieve high selectivity. Today, increasingly stringent demands for the high-purity cobalt and nickel salts required for battery applications in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and solar applications are again challenging the state of the art. The evolution of cobalt–nickel separations is traced from the basic precipitation technologies employed in 1960s, through commissioning of the first cobalt solvent-extraction plant in South Africa in 1974, to the commercialisation of organophosphinic-acid extractants (which provided a step-change improvement in selectivity) and their eventual widespread use in the 1980s and ’90s. This was followed later by their sulphur analogue, which enabled different possibilities for laterite processing in the new millennium. Separations in chloride media, which take advantage of the different speciation chemistries, and nickel extraction by oximes in ammoniacal systems are also discussed. More recently, chelating and solvent-impregnated resins have added further dimensions to the possibilities for flowsheet design and enabled higher purity products to be attained from both primary and secondary sources. Selected case studies and flowsheets are described.

In early June, Rio Tinto?s chief executive officer Tom Albanese said that he expected demand for iron ore, aluminum and copper to double in the next 15 years. Driven by global industrialization and urbanization, Albanese said during his company?s annual general meeting that to meet the demand in 2030, the additional supply required will be equivalent to replicating the iron ore output of Australia?s Pilbara region every five years, adding another aluminum production complex the size of Canada?s Saguenay every nine months and developing another copper mine the size of Escondida, in Chile, each year.

Jan 1, 2010

By D Andrew, G Stanway, P Mahoney, C Griebel

The iron ore mining industry is currently going through an adjustment from high to more moderate growth as China’s economy transitions from capital-intensive investment to a more services-oriented economy. We are now witnessing a renewed focus on productivity improvements and cost savings as planned expansions are completed. Despite the scale and importance that the mining industry plays in the global economy, innovation literature is generally more targeted at faster-moving industries with shorter innovation timeframes and lower capital requirements. To fill this gap, VCI set out to understand the state of innovation in the mining industry in 2014. This State of Play report aims to give an objective appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of innovation in mining. The report has three sections covering both the structure and delivery of innovation in mining:Ecosystem – focused on understanding how the iron ore mining innovation ecosystem system works, including the roles of large and small miners, service companies, researchers and governments. Our recommendations focus on what is required for the system to work well and improve the level and quality of innovation in the industry.Strategy – how do companies define their innovation strategy in relation to their corporate strategy? How are these related to prevailing global and industry trends? How do they communicate this with their business? How successful are they? These are among the questions that this section attempts to answer. Our recommendations are pitched at the executive leadership of iron ore mining and service companies.Delivery – focused on how companies develop and deliver innovation, looking at the success of different structural options, leadership and culture, partnerships and the best approaches to change. Recommendations are aimed at improving outcomes within the iron ore mining value chain, including the role that suppliers play.CITATION:Stanway, G, Mahoney, P, Andrew, D and Griebel, C, 2015. Understanding the state of innovation in the iron ore industry, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 631–646 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By C. Yi, M. Onifade, B. Genc, S. Dineva, T. Zvarivadza, M. Khandelwal

Deep level hardrock mining faces increasing challenges from elevated in situ stresses and associated rockbursts. This study aims to develop a systematic framework for evaluating destress blasting effectiveness, with a focus on deep Swedish hardrock mines. The methodology integrates a critical review and adaptation of global best practices: advanced numerical modelling (static and dynamic simulations), field-based rock fracture monitoring using ground penetrating radar and borehole imaging, and application of rockburst prediction criteria including the strain energy storage coefficient (F), brittle shear ratio, and burst potential index. Geostatistical simulations, machine learning models, and industrial internet of things-based, real-time monitoring are proposed to enhance predictive accuracy, model calibration, and operational adaptability. Key findings show that effective destress blasting evaluation requires multi-modal integration of numerical outputs, field observations, microseismic trends, and uncertainty quantification, accounting for site-specific geological variability and dynamic stress redistribution. The study advances the field by proposing a predictive, feedback-driven evaluation framework tailored for deep Swedish mining conditions, capable of improving proactive rockburst risk management. It offers both practical tools for mining practitioners to optimise stress management, reduce seismic hazards, and enhance excavation safety, and academic foundations for future refinement of destress blasting models, geotechnical monitoring strategies, and adaptive design protocols. This research contributes to safer, more efficient deep mining operations by bridging gaps between theoretical modelling, empirical monitoring, and real-time, data-driven blast design optimisation strategies.

Jun 27, 2025

This paper details a brief history of the Australian gold industry from the 1980s gold boom to the present day, highlighting an industry characterised by innovation in plant design and junior companies prepared to "have a go", in contrast to the conservatism of many larger mining companies. Design flexibility, the innovation of new processes, the preparedness to exchange "process know how" and technology singularly differentiated the gold industry from other sectors during the 1980s to the present. The introduction of two stage crushing, semi autogenous (SAG) milling, and pebble crushing, mill innovations, carbon in pulp (CIP) and carbon in leach (CIL) and the North Kalgoorlie screen etc were all exciting changes in the industry.

Jan 1, 2011

By C Dick

Over the past three decades, mining operations have seen a significant increase in the use of contractors for mining, camp management and catering, recruitment, maintenance, power management, and commissioning. More recently contractors have been engaged for stores and logistics, OH&S, environmental, exploration, training etc. In some countries, such as South Africa, the trend is towards total outsourcing of all aspects of a mining operation which is coordinated by the owners’ management team.During the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) more Australian companies considered and/or took on this approach to recruiting for both projects and operations as mining companies were forced to rethink their corporate strategies as commodity prices plummeted to low levels, pushing operations and projects into potentially financially unviable territory.This paper discusses the labour recruitment, commissioning and operating strategy of Western Areas NL (WSA), with the assistance of Independent Metallurgical Operations Pty Ltd (IMO), as it progressed construction, commissioning and operation of the Cosmic Boy nickel concentrator at the Forrestania Nickel Project during and post GFC. The use of IMO contractors allowed Western Areas to mitigate labour cost risk during the uncertainty caused by the GFC and let their management team focus on the task of bringing a new operation into viable and profitable production.

Aug 8, 2011

By William M. Dalrymple, William P. Owen, Benjamin S. Rivers

For the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), geophysical applications have played an important role as part of a successful multidisciplinary approach to subsurface characterization for the design of high value structures. Since at least the 1950’s, geophysical methods have been deployed to guide the exploration drilling program and to maximize the return on drilling investment by increasing the amount of data obtained from test borings. Geophysical applications saw increased use beginning in the 1990’s, during the seismic retrofit of the state’s toll bridges and the replacement of the west span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Over the intervening years, increases in computing power and increasingly sophisticated commercial off-the-shelf software applications have allowed Caltrans to leverage advancements and perform geophysical investigations of increasing complexity and scale. Ultimately, the goal of these efforts is to maximize return on investment, whereby increased investigation costs at the design phase are offset by reduced uncertainty regarding subsurface conditions, leading to reduced cost overruns related to change orders and unforeseen site conditions during construction. These objectives are consistent with the recent Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative to incorporate Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration (A-GaME) into routine engineering practice. Caltrans is an implementation partner of the A-GaME initiative, and Caltrans’ practices represent a model toward the institutionalized geophysical site characterization practices for other transportation organizations. The authors provide a retrospective on 70 years of experience with geophysical applications for transportation infrastructure, with examples and observations on potential future direction of the industry.

By Frank Sames, Brad Terhune

In many construction projects and in most quarrying operations drilling and blasting remains the only feasible method of loosening rock in the removal of rock or overburden, the development of the quarry and in the production process of crushed stone. Often, a blasting plan is required for the project or the quarry’s permit with primary concerns over safety and site security, and compliance with environmental regulations or standards. From this plan, a blasting program has to be developed considering the varying requirements of production, the advance of the mineral extraction and the environmental impact. The actual blast design requires a planning and optimization process. This optimization process is driven by the blasting technicians/engineers, project or mine management and often by community concerns. The blast design process comprises the selection of blast parameters, including the explosives, and the actual layout of the blast. Design tools and controls range from conventional methods based on established blasting practices to advanced design tools or computer models. Blast monitoring and evaluation can also range from empirical to advanced blast assessment. The data and information from each blast or a series of blasts can further be used in the optimization process. Its success depends upon recording the data, the timely transformation of the data to relevant information, and the development of process oriented knowledge. The elements of the blast design process are summarized and described with examples of state-of-the art engineering controls. The reporting and monitoring of individual blasts is discussed with respect to data management and information systems. A conceptual overview of the components and interfaces of a blasting program is given and discussed on the background of technical, management and community concerns.

Jan 1, 2004

Addressing community concerns in relation to an economic activity, particularly when it causes significant community impacts, is especially important for the development of extractive industry projects. Pipelines comprise an integral part of many hydrocarbon developments, which may cause different effects on local economic development, communities and the environment compared with open cast mines. This paper explores community impacts associated with a case study of the oil pipeline æEastern Siberia-Pacific OceanÆ in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. Based on semi-structured interviews, conducted in 2006 - 2008 in Russia, the paper investigates claims of local communities about potential impacts of the pipeline development of their environments and economic activities as well as community claims for greater involvement in sharing the benefits from this major infrastructure project. A community of Indigenous people, Evenk, is likely to be most profoundly affected by the development due to impacts on their traditional activities such as hunting and reindeer herding. The paper examines in detail the regional economic, social, environmental and Indigenous peoples concerns over the construction of the oil pipeline and investigates actions and methods adopted by community organisations to voice their concerns about the pipeline development. Finally, the paper assesses the process of interaction between the pipeline developers and regional stakeholders.

Jan 1, 2009