Provisional plans are developed as part of the impact assessment process for all new operations, and are progressively refined throughout the lifetime of the mine. This helps promote the sustainability of the project for all involved and limits post-closure liability from the outset.

Closure plans are developed in accordance with national law and international best practice. They are based on the results of stakeholder consultation. Plans are aligned and adaptive to changing local and national conditions, regulations and development priorities.

They cover socio-economic and environmental issues including labour transition, employee skills training, enterprise development, social investment, reclamation and rehabilitation.

Closure policy
The Family of Companies has developed a Closure Policy. The policy is not applied prescriptively, but is intended more as a set of guidelines to inform the determination of national and mine-specific closure requirements.

The policy builds on work completed by the International Council of Mining and Metals and the principles endorsed by the International Association for Impact Assessment.

It is also aligned with our Principles, social impact assessment guidelines, the Anglo American Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox and ongoing stakeholder engagement work.

The policy requires the identification of measurable and time-bound performance targets to be developed and agreed with stakeholders. It also requires the identification of accountable persons, the allocation of closure budgets and ongoing risks review by senior management.

Mines nearing closure
Closure plans are most developed at The Oaks, Finsch and Namaqualand mines and Namdeb land-based operations, all of which have “end of production” dates before 2020.

As a minimum, closure plans for these operations ensure legal compliance and the remediation of environmental impacts. They also aim to ensure positive contributions to the livelihoods of employees and communities post mining.

Regular reviews of the mine closure strategies are completed with employees and other stakeholders including government, unions, local communities and relevant civil society organisations.

Divestments
The Family of Companies seeks to implement formal agreements that ensure purchasers of our mining assets fulfil relevant closure requirements. In some cases, our monitoring of impacts on stakeholders will continue after sale or closure, as demonstrated in the case of the Cullinan mine in South Africa

Where the Family of Companies sells a mine, we jointly prepare a status report with the purchaser. This is in order to identify potential liabilities relating to closure planning requirements and legislation. Particular focus is placed on physical and environmental criteria. The cost of addressing these liabilities is integrated into the price of sale of the relevant operation.