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Polyus Blagodatnoye , Siberia , 2017
grinding rolls and stirred mills ; coarser flotation / separation processes , less water and generation of less tailings ,” says Valery .
“ While we work on how to extract value economically and sustainably from these orebodies , the next obvious challenge is how to find additional ‘ Tier One ’ orebodies that are long-life and have high grades .” These Tier One orebodies will prove crucial to meet the growing demand for resources in the next decade resulting from a growing population and the industrialisation of developing nations .
“ If past discovery rates and sizes are a guide , this demand is unlikely to be met . Therefore , it is necessary to search elsewhere , in places that have not been searched before ; that is , at greater depths on land and in the oceans ,” he says .
“ There are some initiatives underway , but there should be a lot more work and faster development in these areas if we are to meet the demand for mined resources in the near future .”
NOVEMBER 2018