GWI Neo-Marvin Case Study: Project Update
Strategic mine planning has historically treated water as an external constraint, rather than a dynamic factor that directly shapes optimisation outcomes, risk, and long-term value. The Neo-Marvin case study is exploring what changes when water use, treatment, and management are integrated explicitly into life-of-mine planning and decision-making from the outset.
The study is built around the Neo-Marvin orebody, a modernised, hypothetical copper–gold deposit that provides a neutral and collaborative research platform for testing planning and water-management concepts.
Phase 1 established the foundation for the work by defining the study context, objectives, and modelling approach. It confirmed the value of using an integrated strategic planning framework to link water consumption, treatment, and management directly with life-of-mine (LOM) planning, rather than treating water as a standalone constraint. This phase also set out the key questions to be explored, including how water behaves under different planning scenarios and how water-related decisions may influence both operational and economic outcomes.
Phase 2 has focused on developing and refining this integrated modelling approach using the Neo-Marvin orebody. The work is examining how water constraints such as pit dewatering, climate stresses, technology choices, and tailings water hold-up interact with production scale and optimisation outcomes. The study is also assessing first-, second-, and third-order effects, ranging from capital and operating costs through to broader environmental and sustainability considerations. This phase is helping to identify material water risks, priority scenarios, and promising lines of inquiry for future investigation.
Building on the progress made to date, a Phase 3 is planned to extend the work further. This next phase will deepen the analysis of key water constraints, explore additional optimisation scenarios, and support more advanced integration of water modelling into strategic mine planning. Together, the three phases are intended to contribute to a step-change in how water is evaluated within long-term mining decisions and to provide practical insights that can inform future Global Water Initiative projects.
This flagship Global Water Initiative project is delivered in collaboration with Whittle Consulting, with support from CEEC Premium Sponsors Agnico Eagle and Weir, and additional support from Eriez and Anglo American.