Por: Raúl Surichaqui García y Pedro Escudero Jaimes, Compañía de Minas Buenaventura.

This technical paper presents the planning and implementation of the first mine in Peru to apply the innovative Underhand Drift and Fill (UDF) mining method at the San Gabriel Mining Unit, Buenaventura. It details the process from the generation of the economic envelope through mine design, sequencing, and sensitivity analysis. To this end, the Life of Asset (LOA) approach was applied to assess the mine’s full potential, as this mining method will be implemented across 100% of the operation due to the poor quality of the rock mass present both in the orebody and in the surrounding host rock.

Likewise, this study outlines the main characteristics considered in developing the mine plan under UDF parameters. State-of-the-art software available on the market was used, including the “Pseudoflow-Cascade” tool, which allows for accurate classification of mine reserves based on opportunity cost, economic envelope, equipment selection, sequencing, and operational constraints. In addition, “Apex” software was used to determine the optimal financial pathway and generate the highest Net Present Value (NPV), enabling faster recovery of the initial investment.

The significance of this work lies in establishing the foundations for the application of the UDF method in Peru. It will serve as a reference for implementation in other mining units facing challenges similar to those at San Gabriel, such as poor-quality rock conditions in the hanging wall and footwall, and orebody.