Application of operations research in open pit mine planning and a case study in Sinquyen Copper deposit, Vietnam

Operations research has been applied to open pit mine planning since 1960s. This approach has proved its ability in optimising mine planning problems, including long-term and short-term production scheduling, ultimate pit limit, mine design and mining equipment dispatching. In this paper, we review the history and methodology of applying operations research in long-term production scheduling and a case study in Sin Quyen copper deposit, Vietnam.