9.1 Mining and metallurgical property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

The most important property, plant and equipment of the Group is property, plant and equipment related to the mining and metallurgical operations, comprised of land, buildings, water and civil engineering structures, such as: primary mine tunnels (including, in underground mines: shafts, wells, galleries, drifts, primary chambers), backfilling, drainage
and firefighting pipelines, piezometric holes and electricity, signal and optical fiber cables. Pre-stripping costs in open pit mines and machines, technical equipment, motor vehicles and other movable fixed assets, as well as right-to-use assets recognised in accordance with IFRS 16 Leases, including perpetual usufruct rights to land, are also included in mining and metallurgical property, plant and equipment.

Property, plant and equipment, excluding usufruct right-to-use assets, are recognised at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses.

In the initial cost of items of property, plant and equipment the Group includes discounted decommissioning costs of fixed assets related to underground and surface mining and other facilities which, in accordance with binding laws, will be incurred following the conclusion of activities. Principles of recognition and measurement of decommissioning costs are presented in Note 9.4.

An asset’s carrying amount includes costs of significant components, regular, major overhauls and significant periodic repairs, the performance of which determines further use of the asset.

Costs are increased by borrowing costs (i.e. interest and exchange differences representing an adjustment to interest cost) that were incurred for the purchase or construction of a qualifying item of property, plant and equipment.

Right-to-use assets are initially measured at cost, which comprises the initial lease liability and all lease payments paid
on the date the lease began and before that date, less any lease incentives received, any initial direct costs incurred
by the lessee and an estimate of costs which will be incurred by the lessee due to the disassembly or removal of a base asset or renovation of the site in which it was placed.

The perpetual usufruct right to land is measured at the amount of the liability on the perpetual usufruct right to land, which is measured using the perpetual rent method and all lease payments paid on the date the lease began or before that date (including payments for acquisition of this right on the market).

After the initial recognition, a right-to-use asset, excluding the perpetual usufruct right to land measured using
the  perpetual rent method, is measured at cost decreased by accumulated depreciation/amortisation and accumulated impairment losses, adjusted by the updated measurement of lease liabilities.

Items of property, plant and equipment (excluding land and perpetual usufruct rights to land) are depreciated
by the Group, pursuant to the model of consuming the economic benefits from the given item of property, plant
and equipment:

• using the straight-line method, for items which are used in production at an equal level throughout the period of their usage,
• using the units of production method, for items in respect of which the consumption of economic benefits is directly related to the quantity of ore extracted from the deposit or quantity of units produced, and this extraction or production is not spread evenly through the period of their usage. In particular it relates to buildings and structures of the mines machines and mining equipment, except for the items of property, plant and equipment used in metallurgical plants, where their usage results from the useful economic life of the given item of property, plant and equipment.

The useful lives, and therefore the depreciation rates of fixed assets used in the production of copper are adapted to the plans for the closure of operations, and in the case of right-to-use assets to the earlier of these two dates – either to the useful life end date or to the lease end date, unless the ownership of an asset is transferred to the Group before the end of the lease, in which case depreciation rates are adjusted to the estimated useful life end date.

For individual groups of fixed assets, the following useful lives have been adopted, estimated based on the anticipated useful lives of mines and metallurgical plants with respect to deposit content:

For own fixed assets:

The individual significant parts of a fixed asset (significant components), whose useful lives are different from the useful life of the given fixed asset as a whole are depreciated separately, applying a depreciation rate which reflects its anticipated useful life.

For the property, plant and equipment due to right-to-use assets:

Mining and metallurgical intangible assets are mainly comprised of exploration and evaluation assets, and water rights in Chile.

Exploration and evaluation assets 

The following expenditures are classified as exploration and evaluation assets:

• geological projects,
• obtaining environmental decisions,
• obtaining concessions and mining usufruct for geological exploration,
• work related to drilling (drilling; geophysical and hydrogeological research; geological, analytical and geotechnical services; etc.),
• the purchase of geological information,
• the preparation of geological documentation and its approval,
• the preparation of economic and technical assessments of resources for the purpose of making decisions regarding applying for mine operating concessions, and
• equipment usage costs (property, plant and equipment) used in exploratory work.

Expenditures on exploration and evaluation assets are measured at cost less accumulated impairment losses and are recognised as intangible assets not yet available for use.

The Group is required to test an individual entity (project) for impairment when:

• the technical feasibility and commercial viability of extracting mineral resources is demonstrable; and
• the facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of exploration and evaluation assets may exceed their recoverable amount.

Any potential impairment losses are recognised prior to reclassification resulting from the demonstration of the technical and economic feasibility of extracting the mineral resources.

Significant estimates and assumptions relating to impairment of mining and metallurgical property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are presented in Note 3.

The net value of mining and metallurgical property, plant and equipment which are subject to depreciation using the natural method as at 31 December 2022 amounted to PLN 1 694 million (as at 31 December 2021: PLN 1 169 million).