All mining companies are different, yet they generally follow a shared lifecycle.This cycle is often depicted by the Lassonde Curve, which outlines the typical progression of mining ventures from concept to operations. A notable phase within this cycle is the “orphan period,” which occurs between the peak of discovery and the start of production. This stage opens an opportunity for value creation, during which a project evolves from a conceptual idea to a bankable asset.The key to this transformation lies in advancing from a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) to a prefeasibility study (…