How opportunity cost declines as high-grade reserves deplete through the Life of Mine. Pit geometry forces sub-optimal grade mix early; as choices narrow, opportunity cost falls to zero.
X = Life of Mine year. Y = $/t opportunity cost. Bars drawn to Y-axis scale.
Cyan bars = avg NSR mined per year. Green markers = best remaining NSR. The gap between them is the opportunity cost.
Higher throughput = steeper opp cost decline = NPV pulled forward. Lower throughput = sustained high opp cost.
| Yr | Tput kt | Cum kt | Depl% | Avg NSR | Best Avail | Opp Cost | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 6% | $258 | $409 | $151 | Supergene 3000kt |
| Y2 | 3,000 | 6,000 | 12% | $271 | $409 | $138 | Supergene 1800ktHG Zinc Ma 1200kt |
| Y3 | 3,000 | 9,000 | 17% | $291 | $409 | $118 | HG Zinc Ma 3000kt |
| Y4 | 3,000 | 12,000 | 23% | $338 | $409 | $71 | HG Zinc Ma 1800ktGold Strin 1200kt |
| Y5 | 3,000 | 15,000 | 29% | $357 | $409 | $52 | Gold Strin 1800ktCu Primary 1200kt |
| Y6 | 3,000 | 18,000 | 35% | $280 | $315 | $35 | Cu Primary 3000kt |
| Y7 | 3,000 | 21,000 | 41% | $233 | $315 | $82 | Cu Primary 1200ktMG Zinc Di 1800kt |
| Y8 | 3,000 | 24,000 | 46% | $201 | $315 | $114 | MG Zinc Di 3000kt |
| Y9 | 3,000 | 27,000 | 52% | $212 | $315 | $103 | MG Zinc Di 2700ktCu Stringe 300kt |
| Y10 | 3,000 | 30,000 | 58% | $315 | $315 | $0 | Cu Stringe 3000kt |
| Y11 | 3,000 | 33,000 | 64% | $315 | $315 | $0 | Cu Stringe 3000kt |
| Y12 | 3,000 | 36,000 | 70% | $309 | $315 | $6 | Cu Stringe 2700ktMixed Tran 300kt |
| Y13 | 3,000 | 39,000 | 75% | $252 | $252 | $0 | Mixed Tran 3000kt |
| Y14 | 3,000 | 42,000 | 81% | $252 | $252 | $0 | Mixed Tran 3000kt |
| Y15 | 3,000 | 45,000 | 87% | $252 | $252 | $0 | Mixed Tran 3000kt |
| Y16 | 3,000 | 48,000 | 93% | $238 | $252 | $14 | Mixed Tran 2700ktLG Zinc Ma 300kt |
| Y17 | 3,000 | 51,000 | 99% | $115 | $115 | $0 | LG Zinc Ma 3000kt |
| Y18 | 700 | 51,700 | 100% | $115 | $115 | $0 | LG Zinc Ma 700kt |
Blocks below the NSR cut-off are marginal or sub-economic. Hover any value for audit trail.
| Block | Ore Type | Ore kt | NSR $/t | vs Cut-Off | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Stringer | GoldStr | 3,000 | $409 | +$372 | ECONOMIC |
| Cu Stringer | CuStringer | 9,000 | $315 | +$278 | ECONOMIC |
| HG Zinc Massive | HGZinc | 6,000 | $291 | +$254 | ECONOMIC |
| Cu Primary Deep | CuPrimary | 5,400 | $280 | +$243 | ECONOMIC |
| Supergene Oxide | Supergene | 4,800 | $258 | +$221 | ECONOMIC |
| Mixed Transition | Mixed | 12,000 | $252 | +$215 | ECONOMIC |
| MG Zinc Dissem | MGZinc | 7,500 | $201 | +$164 | ECONOMIC |
| LG Zinc Marginal | LGZinc | 4,000 | $115 | +$78 | MARGINAL |
| Block | Pit | Ore Type | Ore kt | Cu% | Zn% | Au | NSR | Yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $258 | |||||||||
| $280 | |||||||||
| $291 | |||||||||
| $201 | |||||||||
| $315 | |||||||||
| $409 | |||||||||
| $252 | |||||||||
| $115 |
Sched Yr = earliest year this block becomes accessible (pit geometry, stripping). NOT NSR ranking — reflects physical mining constraints.