Closure & legacy

Closing a mine or other operating site does not simply mean shutting down production, rehabilitating the land and walking away. Relationships change and people's livelihoods can be affected, as can the social and environmental programmes established during the life of the mine.

We believe that integrating closure planning into all aspects of our decision making in a business - from the earliest stages of project development to decommissioning facilities - is crucial to leaving a positive legacy with sustainable development opportunities. And we well understand that our legacy at one site may well determine our future access to land, people and capital at another.

How we close an operation

We have a closure standard that aims to influence the design, development, operation and closure of all of our operations. This is to ensure the best possible outcome to closure in terms of social, environmental and economic development needs and expectations.

We approach closure with a multi-disciplinary team that includes community relations experts, human resources people, financial and environmental specialists and engineers.  These teams work in consultation with our neighbours and partners to close our operations in line with local laws and best environmental practice. 

All operations are required to have closure plans.  These plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain relevant.  As planned closure draws nearer, the cost estimates get more detailed and five years before a mine is closed, we draw up a decommissioning plan.

We take account of the economic needs of the community, and aim to leave as many businesses associated with our presence in place as possible after we have gone. In addition, our biodiversity strategy is drawn into the closure plan to help us rehabilitate the land afterwards.

Our results

Our 2006 results show that since the closure management plan review programme began in 2005, 18 reviews have been conducted.  The review process includes a desktop review of documented closure plans and a site visit by a team made up of our specialists in community relations, human resources, finance and the environment.