Going Underground for Ferronickel Mining in Greece: Preliminary Feasibility and Potential Benefits

Abstract

The gradual elimination of rich and surficial-located Ni reserves mandates the assessment regarding the gradual switch from open-pit mines to underground mining schemes. This could allow for the continuation of the steady ore supply and furthermore could assist in minimizing the environmental footprint of the exploitations. This paper investigates the possibility of adopting an underground exploitation scheme and provides data on the preliminary feasibility of the endeavor for the Vrysakia deposit that was selected as a model project. It was found that such solutions proved to be technically sound, also yielding considerable results from a financial viewpoint.