The technical and economic viability of the re-activation of the Ollomont underground abandoned Cu-mine (Aosta valley – Italy)

Copper and its alloys are nowadays used for many applications required to support energy transition and their market demand is growing. Due to a still limited re-cycling technology is likely that for the next years the request will be mainly covered by the traditional mining of geological deposits or from the reactivation of abandoned mines. The costs of extraction and production of minerals through open-pit or underground extraction activity are given by the direct costs of cultivation (e.g. mining operations) and indirect costs which depend on the characteristics of the ore body, including transport, environmental costs for the reclamation and the security of infrastructures. In this study, the authors developed the assessment of the technical feasibility and economic viability of the re-activation of the Ollomont underground abandoned Cu-mine (Aosta Valley – Italy). The field is located within a metallogenic province of the Western Alps well defined for the presence of Fe ± Cr, Ni-Co, Cu-Fe, Au, Mn, asbestos and talc. The Ollomont mine insists on banks of pyrite and chalcopyrite located in contact between Prasinites and Calcescists. The cultivation activities involved a mineralized strained layer of cupriferous pyrite. The analysis of the geological documentation allows estimating the reserves of exploitable ore still in place to about 20,000 tons at 0.9 ÷ 1% Cu. Following parametric analysis on the present market current value the price of Ollomont’s raw copper can be estimated 67 €/t while the total cost of re-starting of the mining activity can be estimated up to 135 €/t (including profits 10%). Therefore, the hypothesis of reopening turns out to be not sustainable at least in the short term and at the current values.