Medium-term planning systems for open-pit and underground mining operations: a unified methodology and import substitution experience at ALROSA
Vladimir V. Laptev1, Elizaveta D. Zikratskaya2
1 Mining Institute of the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russian Federation
2 ALROSA PJSC, Mirny, Russian Federation
Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost) №5/ 2026 p. 272-278
Summary: The article presents the development and industrial testing of medium-term planning systems for open-pit and simultaneously account for the position of the mining front, mineral reserves and grades, equipment capacity, haulage schemes, technological dependencies, calendar constraints, and production targets within a medium-term planning time-frame. In manual planning workflows, these data are often collected from multiple sources, which makes it difficult to compare alternative scenarios and perform timely replanning when production conditions change. A unified methodological approach is proposed based on an object-oriented representation of the mining method elements, integrated use of the input data, and an iterative planning cycle: input data – target indicators – calculation – analysis – adjustment – replanning. The computational procedure combines optimization of the sequence in which the mining objects are brought into operation with simulation modelling of the mining progress. The system requirements were formulated in cooperation with specialists from the Production Planning Department of ALROSA, taking into account the practical experience of centralized planning and the need for rapid assessment of “what-if” scenarios under changing production conditions. The results show that the practical value of the proposed approach is not limited to automating calculations. It also reduces manual data preparation, improves the transparency of planning assumptions, and provides a basis for faster assessment of the consequences of production changes.
Keywords: medium-term mine planning, surface mining, underground mining, mining and geological information system, integrated data accounting, scenario planning, discrete-event simulation, production sequence optimization, unified digital model, industrial validation
Acknowledgements: The authors express their gratitude to the specialists from the Production Planning Department of ALROSA who participated in the project, as well as to the development team at Mineframe Laboratory, who translated the methods and requirements into a software solution.
For citation: Laptev Vladimir V., Zikratskaya Elizaveta D. Medium-term planning systems for open-pit and underground mining operations: a unified methodology and import substitution experience at ALROSA. Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost). 2026;(5):272–278. https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-5-272-278
Article info
Received: 08.06.2026
Revised: 21.07.2026
Accepted: 24.07.2026
Authors info
Laptev Vladimir V. – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of the Laboratory of Digital Technologies in Mining, Mining Institute of the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apati- ty, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1525-1211; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Zikratskaya Elizaveta D. – Principal Expert, Production Plan- ning Department, ALROSA PJSC, Mirny, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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