(e) Property, plant and equipment
i) Recognition and measurement
Items of property, plant and equipment are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes expenditures that are directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset. The cost of self-constructed assets includes the cost of materials and direct labour, any other costs directly attributable to bringing the assets to a working condition for their intended use, the costs of dismantling and removing the items and restoring the site on which they are located, and borrowing costs on qualifying assets. Gains and losses on disposal of an item of property, plant and equipment are determined by comparing the proceeds from disposal with the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment, and are recognised in profit or loss.
ii) Exploration and evaluation assets
Exploration costs are capitalised as incurred, unless the exploration costs are related to speculative drilling on unestablished orebodies, general administrative or overhead costs associated with exploration drilling. The costs related to speculative drilling on unestablished orebodies, general administrative or overhead costs are expensed as incurred. Exploration and evaluation costs capitalised are disclosed under property, plant and equipment. Direct expenditures include such costs as materials used, surveying costs, drilling costs, payments made to contractors, direct administrative costs and depreciation on plant and equipment during the exploration phase. Costs
not
directly attributable to exploration and evaluation activities, including general administrative overhead costs, are expensed in the year in which they occur.
Once the technical feasibility and commercial viability of extracting the mineral resource has been determined, the property is considered to be a mine under development and moved to the mine development, infrastructure and other asset category within Property, plant and equipment. Capitalised direct costs related to the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties remain capitalized until the properties to which they relate are ready for their intended use, sold, abandoned or management has determined there to be impairment. Exploration and evaluation assets are tested for impairment before the assets are transferred to mine development, infrastructure and other assets.
The cost of replacing a part of an item of Property, plant and equipment is recognised in the carrying amount of the item if it is probable that the future economic benefits embodied within the part will flow to the Group, and its cost can be measured reliably. The carrying amount of the replaced part is derecognised. The costs of the day-to-day servicing of property, plant and equipment are recognised in profit or loss as incurred.
Depreciation is calculated to write off the depreciable amount, which is the cost of an asset, or other amount substituted for cost, less its residual value.
On commencement of commercial production, depreciation of mine development, infrastructure and other assets is calculated on the unit-of-production method using the estimated measured, indicated and inferred resources which are planned to be extracted in terms of Blanket’s life-of-mine plan (“LoMP”). Resources that are
not
included in the LoMP are
not
included in the calculation of depreciation.
For other categories, depreciation is recognised in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of each part of an item of property, plant and equipment, since this most closely reflects the expected pattern of consumption of the future economic benefits embodied in the asset.
Inferred resources are included in the LoMP to the extent that there is a successful history of upgrading inferred resources. Blanket reports its resources inclusive of reserves. As a result, resources included in the LoMP and hence in the calculation of depreciation include material from measured, indicated and inferred resource classes as detailed below under the following types of resources:
· | | Measured resources – all proven reserve blocks plus 50% of the remnant pillar blocks. |
· | | Indicated resources – all probable reserves plus indicated resources which occur within the mine extent as defined by the LoMP infrastructure. |
· | | Inferred resources – inferred resources (discounted by approximately 30% ) that are well defined in terms of geometry (position, width, extent) falling within the planned infrastructure as per the LoMP. |
In addition, inferred resources are included in the LoMP if it is expected that the inferred resources can be economically recovered in the future. Economic recovery is expected if a history can be proven that the recovered grade of the inferred resources exceeded the pay limit grade and when this trend can be expected in the future. Refer to note
15
for the evaluation of the pay limit.
The calculation of the units of production rate could be affected to the extent that actual production in the future is different from the current forecast production based on reserves and resources. This would generally result from the extent to which there are significant changes in any of the factors or assumptions used in estimating mineral reserves and resources.
These factors include:
· | | changes in mineral reserves and resources; |
· | | differences between actual commodity prices ad commodity price assumptions; |
· | | unforeseen operational issues at mine sites; and |
· | | changes in capital, operating, mining, processing and reclamation costs, discount rates and foreign exchange rates. |
The estimated useful lives for the current and comparative periods are as follows:
· | | buildings 10 to 15 years (2016: 10 to 15 years); |
· | | plant and equipment 10 years (2016: 10 years); |
· | | fixtures and fittings including computers 4 to 10 years (2016: 4 to 10 years); |
· | | motor vehicles 4 years (2016: 4 years); and |
· | | mine development, infrastructure and other assets in production, units-of-production method. |
Depreciation methods, useful lives and residual values are reviewed each financial year and adjusted if appropriate. When parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items (major components) of property, plant and equipment.