Rehabilitation and closure for the mining industry
MINING and its derived products are essential for the continued growth and development of our society, but there is a need to balance the economic and technological benefits of mining and the long term environmental sustainability of the land and our communities.
Mining companies, as part of their social licence to operate, need to recognise that the community has changing expectations and that what was acceptable in the past may not be acceptable now or in the future.
This represent a significant challenge to the mining industry as the financial liabilities of rehabilitation and closure to meet community expectations are considerable, as highlighted by the $743 million price tag to rehabilitate the Hazelwood Power Station.
To ensure cost-effective rehabilitation and closure of mining assets requires a consultancy that is well versed in government policy, stakeholder engagement, as well as technical aspects of the environment, rehabilitation and closure.
“The Soilwater Group is that consultancy and we have a proven track record in engaging with regulatory agencies, working with local communities and mining companies to provide a one-stop-shop for rehabilitation and closure of mining assets,” Soilwater Group director Adam Pratt said.
Soilwater’s in-house capabilities cover government policy and mining securities (including Mining Rehabilitation Fund), community and social planning, State and Federal environmental approvals, technical studies (soil and waste characterisation, hydrology, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, contaminated sites and landform design and modelling), as well as rehabilitation and closure planning and implementation.
“We also have strong alliances with specialists demolition and auction providers to close the closure loop,” Mr Pratt said.
The Soilwater Group therefore has the capacity to provide cost-effective and environmentally and socially sound operation, decommissioning, rehabilitation and closure of any mining project.
To illustrate Soilwater Group’s expertise in mine rehabilitation and closure, the company recently completed the rehabilitation and closure works for the highly successful Black Diamond Project, which was selected as the first pilot project to be rehabilitated using funds from the Mining Rehabilitation Fund in WA.
Given its history and proximity to the coal mining town of Collie, the Black Diamond Project was highly sensitive with a range of conflicting political, government and community expectations.
“To overcome these challenges, we worked closely with the various government agencies and communities groups to deliver a rehabilitation and closure solution that was within budget, accepted by the community and was technologically feasible,” Mr Pratt said.
The Soilwater Group completed all site assessment work in-house to assist and inform the government agencies and community groups of the likely outcomes that could be achieved, with the technical data incorporated into the stakeholder consultation strategy which provided the basis for the accepted decommissioning plan to support the desired end land use.
The Soilwater Group understands that for any mining project to achieve successful closure, there is a need to integrate the technical aspects with the social.
The long term viability of the mining sector is dependent on its social licence to operate, and every failure to consider and incorporate the needs and expectations of the community into the planning and closure process adds risk or delays to the approvals process, and tarnishes the reputation of the industry as a whole.
Given this understanding, the Soilwater Group can support its clients through the full life cycle of a project to ensure community support and project approval and to prevent mining assets from becoming community liabilities.
The Soilwater Group is the consultancy of choice for the rehabilitation and closure of mining assets.