10 1 Expenditures related to the development of mineral resources shall not be recognised as exploration and evaluation assets. The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting under Indian Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Ind AS 38, Intangible Assets , provide guidance on the recognition of assets arising from development.
11 In accordance with Ind AS 37, Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets, an entity recognises any obligations for removal and restoration that are incurred during a particular period as a consequence of having undertaken the exploration for and evaluation of mineral resources.
Measurement after recognition
12 After recognition, an entity shall apply either the cost model or the revaluation model to the exploration and evaluation assets. If the revaluation model is applied (either the model in Ind AS 16, Property, Plant and Equipment , or the model in Ind AS 38) it shall be consistent with the classification of the assets (see paragraph 15 ).
Changes in accounting policies
13 An entity may change its accounting policies for exploration and evaluation expenditures if the change makes the financial statements more relevant to the economic decision-making needs of users and no less reliable, or more reliable and no less relevant to those needs. An entity shall judge relevance and reliability using the criteria in Ind AS 8.
14 To justify changing its accounting policies for exploration and evaluation expenditures, an entity shall demonstrate that the change brings its financial statements closer to meeting the criteria in Ind AS 8, but the change need not achieve full compliance with those criteria.
Classification of exploration and evaluation assets
15 An entity shall classify exploration and evaluation assets as tangible or intangible according to the nature of the assets acquired and apply the classification consistently.
16 Some exploration and evaluation assets are treated as intangible (eg drilling rights), whereas others are tangible (eg vehicles and drilling rigs). To the extent that a tangible asset is consumed in developing an intangible asset, the amount reflecting that consumption is part of the cost of the intangible asset. However, using a tangible asset to develop an intangible asset does not change a tangible asset into an intangible asset.
Reclassification of exploration and evaluation assets
17 An exploration and evaluation asset shall no longer be classified as such when the technical feasibility and commercial viability of extracting a mineral resource are demonstrable. Exploration and evaluation assets shall be assessed for impairment, and any impairment loss recognised, before reclassification.
Recognition and measurement
18 Exploration and evaluation assets shall be assessed for impairment when facts and circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of an exploration and evaluation asset may exceed its recoverable amount. When facts and circumstances suggest that the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount, an entity shall measure, present and disclose any resulting impairment loss in accordance with Ind AS 36, except as provided by paragraph 21 below.
19 For the purposes of exploration and evaluation assets only, paragraph 20 of this Accounting Standard shall be applied rather than paragraphs 8 - 17 of Ind AS 36 when identifying an exploration and evaluation asset that may be impaired. Paragraph 20 uses the term ‘assets’ but applies equally to separate exploration and evaluation assets or a cash-generating unit.
20 One or more of the following facts and circumstances indicate that an entity should test exploration and evaluation assets for impairment (the list is not exhaustive):
