The OPEX (Operational Expenditure) or AISC (All-in Sustaining Costs) and CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) costs for large scale Industrial facilities such as energy assets, mines, power plants can vary significantly depending on a number of factors.
Generally, the CAPEX costs for building a new facility can range from tens of millions to over a billion dollars, depending on the complexity and size of the project. This can include costs associated with site preparation, drilling wells, constructing production facilities, pipelines, and other infrastructure.
The OPEX / AISC associated with operating and maintaining such facilities can also vary widely. These costs can include expenses related to labour, drilling/mining, maintenance, repairs, utilities, regulatory compliance, and other ongoing operational expenses. For example, the OPEX / AISC for maintaining an offshore oil and gas platform or a mine can range from several hundred thousand to several million dollars per day.
It’s worth noting that OPEX / AISC tend to be the largest component of the overall cost over the lifetime of a facility, while CAPEX cost tends to be incurred mainly at the beginning and end of the asset lifecycle. Therefore, optimisation of the OPEX / AISC can save a huge cumulative sum over the lifecycle of an asset.
Typically, spare part holdings inventories that are assumed in the project phase are usually not optimised for ongoing plant operations, and maintenance tasks are not being conducted with operational experience or operating experience in mind. Periodic Critical spares analysis can therefore bring significant cost savings and contribute to lowering OPEX / AISC.
Sticking with OEM recommended frequencies and tasks, especially in later lifecycle operations often leads to over (or under) maintaining critical equipment. Additionally, a review of maintenance strategies in order to achieve a predictive maintenance approach can lower the cost of preventative maintenance and greatly affect the OPEX / AISC.
AIE Services
Our maintenance & spare parts optimisation service is delivered by leading industry experts, our in-house software tools are engaged to deliver long-term savings and a range of benefits for our clients’ businesses.
We have seen an average of 30% savings in spare holdings and 40% optimisation in maintenance costs. The real-life example in Figure 1 shows that a total of $36,000,000 can be saved over the lifecycle of the asset where a $1,500,000 annual maintenance cost and a $2,000,000 spare parts cost are applied.
Fig 1: Asset Lifecycle costs over its lifespan
We also offer a 1-day training course on Spares Optimisation which provides organisations with the knowledge required to capture opportunities which enable them to optimise and reinvent spares inventory and management systems, resulting in significant short- and long-term savings.
For more information on how you can optimise your spares & maintenance system, please visit our web page, or contact us on info@aiegroup.org.