Blasor—Blended Iron Ore Mine Planning Optimisation at Yandi, Western Australia

A new mine planning optimisation software tool called Blasor has been developed and implemented at BHP Billiton’s Yandi Joint Venture operation in the Pilbara. Blasor is specifically configured for designing and optimising the long-term pit development plan for the multi-pit blended-ore operation at Yandi. It is used for optimal design of the ultimate pits and the mining phases contained within those pits. In designing the mining phases, Blasor ensures that all market tonnage, grade and impurity constraints are observed whilst maximising the nett discounted cash flow (DCF) of the joint venture operation.