Study guide
17.1 Scoping, Pre-Feasibility & Final Feasibility Study Maturity
PRC Mining Engineer Licensure Examination Philippines
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1 Chapter 1: Surface Mining Methods & Pit Optimization
1.1 Surface Mining Unit Operations & Method Selection 1.2 Bench Geometry, Slope Stability & Geotechnical Pit Design 1.3 Cut-Off Grade Optimization & Lerchs-Grossmann Pit Limits
2 Chapter 2: Underground Mining Methods & Strata Control
2.1 Underground Mining Method Classification & Selection 2.2 Rock Mechanics, Stress Analysis & Strata Control 2.3 Underground Ground Support Systems & Excavation Design
3 Chapter 3: Materials Handling, Equipment & Mine Economics
3.1 Drilling, Blasting & Explosives Engineering 3.2 Mine Loading, Haulage & Materials Handling Systems 3.3 Mine Capital (CAPEX), Operating Costs (OPEX) & Financial Evaluation
4 Chapter 4: Mine Safety, Ventilation & Philippine Mining Laws
4.1 Mine Ventilation Network Analysis & Environmental Quality 4.2 Philippine Mine Safety Rules, Health & Disaster Prevention 4.3 Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942), DAO 2010-21 & Mining Ethics
5 Chapter 5: Physical Geology, Mineralogy & Philippine Deposit Types
5.1 Structural Geology, Tectonics & Ore Controls 5.2 Igneous, Metamorphic & Sedimentary Ore Mineralogy 5.3 Major Philippine Ore Deposit Models
6 Chapter 6: Mineral Exploration, Geophysics & Core Logging
6.1 Geochemical & Remote Sensing Exploration Techniques 6.2 Geophysical Exploration Methods in Mining Geology 6.3 Diamond Drilling, Core Logging & QA/QC Protocols
7 Chapter 7: Geostatistics, Resource Estimation & PMRC Code
7.1 Ore Body Block Modeling & Spatial Variography 7.2 Inverse Distance & Ordinary Kriging Grade Estimation 7.3 Philippine Mineral Reporting Code (PMRC 2020) & Resource Classification
8 Chapter 8: Comminution, Sizing & Physical Mineral Separation
8.1 Crushing, Grinding & Bond Work Index Calculations 8.2 Particle Screening, Hydrocyclone Classification & Sizing 8.3 Gravity Concentration & Magnetic/Electrostatic Separation
9 Chapter 9: Froth Flotation & Extractive Hydrometallurgy
9.1 Froth Flotation Chemistry, Reagents & Cell Kinetics 9.2 Leaching Technologies (Heap, Agitation & Tank) 9.3 Precious Metal Recovery: CIP, CIL, Merrill-Crowe & Electrowinning
10 Chapter 10: Process Plant Flowsheets & Environmental Tailings Management
10.1 Metallurgical Plant Flowsheets & Pulp Mass Balances 10.2 Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Design & Dam Safety 10.3 Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Mitigation & Environmental Protection (EPEP/FMR/DP)
11 Chapter 11: 2025 PRC Blueprint, Prospecting Tools & Exploration Decisions
11.1 Official 2025 TOS, Three-Paper Structure & Exam Strategy 11.2 Prospecting Instruments, Base Maps & Surface Geological Mapping 11.3 Integrating Direct and Indirect Evidence for Exploration Decisions
12 Chapter 12: Mine Infrastructure, Sustainable Development & Climate
12.1 Power, Water, Drainage & Support-Facility Selection 12.2 Sustainable Development, Progressive Rehabilitation & Community Impact 12.3 Mining, Climate, Reforestation, Coal & Energy-Transition Minerals
13 Chapter 13: Mine Valuation, Financial Analysis & Due Diligence
13.1 Time Value of Money, Future Value & Present Value 13.2 Financial Statements, Mine Economics & External Price Drivers 13.3 Exploration Provenance, Technical Review & Legal Due Diligence
14 Chapter 14: Mine Organization, Communication & Accountable Leadership
14.1 Line and Staff Functions in a Mining Organization 14.2 Communication With Superiors, Peers & Subordinates 14.3 Authority, Responsibility, Delegation & Safety Accountability
15 Chapter 15: Philippine Mining Law, Indigenous Rights & Professional Ethics
15.1 Legal Hierarchy, Mineral Tenure & Compliance Analysis 15.2 Constitutional Participation, IPRA, FPIC & Ancestral Domains 15.3 RA 4274, Professional Scope, Ethics & Document Integrity
16 Chapter 16: Applied Mathematics & Mine Surveying
16.1 Engineering Mathematics for Safe, Efficient Mine Decisions 16.2 Survey Control, Instruments, Traverses & Error Adjustment 16.3 Topographic Maps, Underground Set-Out & Survey Timeliness
17 Chapter 17: Feasibility Studies, Data Quality & Project Decisions
17.1 Scoping, Pre-Feasibility & Final Feasibility Study Maturity 17.2 Data Accuracy, Assumption Control & Go/No-Go Decisions 17.3 Multidisciplinary Integration, Interfaces & Independent Review
18 Chapter 18: Mining Computer Applications, Digital Control & Global Developments
18.1 Computer Functions, Office Applications & Data Governance 18.2 Geological Modeling, Mine Planning, Scheduling & Valuation Software 18.3 Real-Time Control, Critical Minerals & Regional Mining Developments
19 Chapter 19: Earth Systems, Geologic Time & Philippine Hazards
19.1 Solar-System Origin, Earth Interior & Atmospheric Layers 19.2 Rock Cycle, Landforms & the Geologic Time Scale 19.3 Philippine Tectonics, Geologic Hazards & Mitigation
20 Chapter 20: Metallurgy, Foundry Practice & Assaying
20.1 Extractive, Physical & Adaptive Metallurgy Principles 20.2 Foundry Materials, Casting, Solidification & Defects 20.3 Sampling, Fire Assay, Cupellation, Parting & Assay Calculations
21 Chapter 21: Solid–Liquid Separation, Environmental Law & Mine Ecology
21.1 Thickening, Filtration & Solid–Liquid Separation 21.2 Philippine Air, Water, Waste & Hazardous-Substance Controls 21.3 Mine Ecology, Closure, Tailings, Waste & Community Livelihood
17.1 Scoping, Pre-Feasibility & Final Feasibility Study Maturity
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Study labels describe increasing technical definition and decision confidence; they do not guarantee profit, permitting, financing, or freedom from later change.
A scoping study compares concepts, a pre-feasibility study selects a preferred technically and economically viable option, and a feasibility study develops that option for an investment decision.
Geology, metallurgy, geotechnics, mine design, infrastructure, environment, social performance, execution, cost, and schedule should mature together enough to support the decision.
Accuracy ranges are consequences of data, design, estimating method, contingency, and risk; they should not be copied as universal numbers without a governing standard.
The study basis must state data cut-off, design criteria, estimate class, price and exchange assumptions, exclusions, risk, and recommended next work.
Last updated: August 2026
A feasibility study is a decision system, not a thick report. It integrates deposit knowledge, design, testwork, approvals, execution, cost, schedule, market, environment, community, and risk to determine whether to stop, investigate, select an option, or invest. Study names imply progressively greater definition, but the exact nomenclature and accuracy expectations depend on the reporting code, corporate standard, lender, and project context.
- Typical Study Progression
- Scoping or Conceptual Study
The study asks whether plausible development concepts merit further work. It compares broad mining and processing alternatives, identifies fatal flaws, frames scale and infrastructure, and establishes exploration and testwork priorities. Inputs can include lower-confidence Mineral Resources where the applicable reporting code permits, but results must not be presented as a Mineral Reserve or definitive development case.
Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS)
A PFS evaluates alternatives sufficiently to select a preferred technically and economically viable option. It develops mine method and schedule, process route, site layout, waste and tailings concept, infrastructure, environmental and social baseline, project execution, cost, and financial analysis. Under resource-reporting frameworks, a PFS commonly supports applying Modifying Factors and may support Mineral Reserve conversion by a Competent Person when all criteria are met.
Feasibility Study (FS)
An FS develops the selected option to the level needed for a final investment decision, financing, detailed execution planning, and permit support. It requires stronger design definition, testwork, quantities, vendor or market input, schedule logic, risk treatment, and management plans. “Feasible” still depends on assumptions and approvals; it is not a guarantee of construction or performance.
Coordinated Maturity
A study is only as strong as its critical dependency. Detailed plant engineering cannot compensate for weak orebody geometry. A measured resource does not compensate for absent tailings capacity or no water source. Key workstreams include:
Workstream Maturity question
Geology/resource Are tonnes, grade, density, continuity, and classification fit for schedule and valuation?
Mining Is method, geotechnical basis, dilution, recovery, development, equipment, and schedule demonstrated?
Processing Is variability testwork representative and are throughput, recovery, product, water, and residue supported?
Infrastructure Are power, water, access, logistics, camp, fuel, and communications defined?
Environment/social Are baseline, impact, rights, approvals, closure, costs, and commitments integrated?
Execution Are contracting, procurement, construction, commissioning, ramp-up, and owner capability realistic?
Economics Are price, market, cost, tax, royalty, exchange, financing boundary, and sensitivity explicit?
Estimate Accuracy and Contingency
An estimate range describes expected uncertainty under a defined scope and methodology. It is not achieved by declaring a study stage. Quantity definition, vendor quotations, local productivity, market date, escalation, foreign exchange, taxes, indirects, owner costs, and schedule all affect accuracy.
Contingency covers uncertainty within the defined project scope; it should be risk-based. It is not a hidden budget for undefined scope, management optimism, escalation, or a known omitted facility. Separate contingency, escalation, growth allowance, and management reserve according to the estimate basis.
Study Basis Document
Record:
- objective and decision;
- data cut-off and responsible persons;
- resource and reserve basis;
- design criteria and alternatives;
- production, recovery, and ramp-up;
- currency, base date, inflation, exchange, and tax;
- estimate methods, quotations, exclusions, and contingency;
- schedule calendars and critical path;
- environmental, social, closure, and permitting basis;
- risks, opportunities, sensitivities, and unresolved work; and
recommendation and next gate.
Option Selection
Use multi-criteria analysis carefully. NPV is important, but an option that cannot be permitted, operated safely, supplied with water, or closed credibly is not preferable. Weight safety, environment, community, technical risk, schedule, flexibility, and economics. Run sensitivity so a small scoring change does not disguise a fragile choice.
Exam Scenario
A project has detailed equipment quotations but only two metallurgical composites from a geologically variable deposit. The plant estimate appears precise, yet recovery and flowsheet selection are not mature. The correct response is targeted variability sampling and testwork before representing feasibility-level confidence; adding decimal places or generic contingency does not solve the missing evidence.
Study-Level Trap
More detail in one discipline does not upgrade the whole study. A feasibility-level process design attached to conceptual geotechnical, water, tenure, or closure work remains constrained by those immature dependencies. State the maturity of each critical input and the resulting limit on the project decision.
Maturity Must Be Balanced
Study confidence is not the average maturity of its chapters. A detailed plant quote cannot compensate for an untested ore type, an unsupported water source, missing tailings capacity, unresolved access, or a schedule that precedes permits. At each gate, identify the least-mature dependency capable of changing the selected concept or value, define the evidence needed, and prevent estimate-class labels from implying certainty the inputs do not possess.