GOING GREEN IN MINING PROJECT FINANCE-WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN TERMS OF THE ENGINEERING STUDY?

Since 2003, a growing number of international lending institutions have endorsed a set of environmental and social policies and guidelines termed the Equator Principles. As of December 2008, sixty-four financial institutions from twenty-six countries adopted the Equator Principles. Funding via external project financing is increasingly likely to be subject to an overall project assessment with respect to environmental and social impacts. In this case, part of the "bankability" status of an engineering study will be contingent on satisfying the Equator Principles. This paper will present an overview of the Equator Principle program and identify opportunities for integration of the program objectives during development of an engineering study.