Metal accounting is usually viewed as a tiresome periodic chore for process plant operators best dispensed with as quickly and painlessly as possible accompanied by the “security blanket” of using an expensive software package. Very few (if any!) undergraduate or junior mineral processors have stated that a compelling factor drawing them to the industry was a desire to excel at metal accounting.

However, metal accounting should in fact be approached with reverence rather than indifference because it underpins the entire operation.

Metal Accounting is:
- The “score card” on how the plant is performing – a reality check on purported metallurgical achievement.
- The process plant is the “truth machine” for the mine resource/reserve model with errors resulting in the processing of uneconomic mineralisation or the rejection of economic mineralisation.
- The starting point for payments to governments and stakeholders and is a provision for governance.

With seeming deficiencies on current metal accounting practices, leads one to question, how will we cope with the additional burden of carbon accounting?

Don’t miss this fascinating panel discussion on Day 3 of the Mill Operators Conference. Learn from our expert panel as they share their insights and experiences, emphasising why metal accounting should be approached with the reverence it deserves!