Andina Veladero Engineering Review

Project Highlights:

  • Independent Engineer's Review
  • Construction Quality Assurance
  • Cold Climate
  • High Altitude
  • Dam Safety Review
  • Heap Leach Facility

Tierra Group performed a forensic study to determine the cause for volumetrically non-compliant leakage volumes occurring in the heap leach facilities leak detection system. Tierra Group reviewed the facility design, engineering and construction quality assurance (CQA) information, construction as built drawings, and summarized findings in a technical memorandum.

Tierra Group performed a peer review to verify the Phase 7 leaching pad basic engineering. Tierra Group reviewed the existing design and engineering drawings to ensure the proposed design is adequate and follows acceptable engineering practices. In addition, Tierra Group conducted a dam safety review (DSR), which served as the starter dam for the leaching pad, identified opportunities to "optimize" the design to reduce capital or operating costs, and identified associated risks (regulatory, financial, construction schedule, etc.) with optimization application.

Tierra Group conducted a heap leach pad (HLP) engineering design review. Tierra Group reviewed the existing design, engineering drawings, geotechnical analyses, and surface water management and water balance to ensure the proposed design is adequate and follows acceptable engineering practices.

Tierra Group performed a DSR for a mining dam. The DSR is part of the dam safety management system to compare management procedures to the standards outlined in Barrick’s Corporate Tailings and Heap Leach Management Standard and to ensure compliance with international dam safety guidelines. Tierra Group personnel conducted a site inspection and interviewed staff to understand current practices compared to the Standard requirements.

Tierra Group prepared a pre-feasibility level HLF design including geotechnical, hydrology and hydraulics, water balance, and electromechanical design.

Tierra Group performed EoR services, including technical direction and preparing construction design documents.

Project Highlights:

  • Independent Engineer's Review
  • Construction Quality Assurance
  • Cold Climate
  • High Altitude
  • Dam Safety Review
  • Heap Leach Facility

Similar projects

Dam Low Level Outlet Replacement

Tierra Group completed a geotechnical investigation, which included overseeing hollow stem auger (HSA) drilling and laboratory testing, that characterized the existing earthen dam. Tierra Group completed a low-level outlet structure design that was believed to have been compromised by internal…

VIEW PROJECT

San Albino

Dry Stack Tailings Storage Facility Design Tierra Group supported construction of the San Albino Mine in Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. Tierra Group designed a dry stack drum filtered-tailings storage facility. A siting study optimized the dry stack location and minimized CAPEX and OPEX.…

VIEW PROJECT

El Mochito Mine

El Mochito is an underground zinc/silver mine located in the Santa Barbara Mountains in north-central Honduras. Tierra Group’s Team has been providing Tailings Stewardship Services at El Mochito continuously for the past 26 years. Since 1989, Tierra Group engineers have provided…

VIEW PROJECT

Pitarrilla Mine

Tierra Group participated as a member of a multi-disciplinary project team to develop a Definitive Feasibility study for a 16,000 tpd silver mine in Durango, Mexico. Tierra Group's responsibilities included designing a 112 Mt tailings storage facility, developing a site-wide…

VIEW PROJECT

Hayden Operations

Tierra Group implemented a corporate Tailings Stewardship Strategy (TSS) at all of ASARCO Grupo Mexico’s mines in Arizona, USA (Hayden, Mission and Ray mines). Tierra Group conducted a site visit to each site to perform dam safety inspections, interview operations staff,…

VIEW PROJECT

La Libertad Mine

Tierra Group engineers designed La Esperanza TSF, a 2.1-km long, 35-m high, earthfill tailings dam with an HDPE lined impoundment footprint of 840,000 m2. Tierra Group designed and provided Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) for all subsequent downstream dam stages. Stage…

VIEW PROJECT

Bald Mountain Mine

Tierra Group assisted the Bald Mountain Mine Project Development Team with an evaluation of potential uses for spent ore on legacy heap leach facilities. Tierra Group completed a collaborative trade-off study with site personnel evaluating spent ore use as overliner…

VIEW PROJECT

Morelos Mine

Tierra Group designed and implemented a stability and safety monitoring plan for Torex Gold’s Morelos Mine dry stack tailings storage facility (TSF). The monitoring plan includes installing inclinometers and vibrating wire piezometers, and training operations staff to download instrumentation readings.…

VIEW PROJECT

Fekola Project | Mali

Earthworks & Construction Quality Control (CQC) Services Tierra Group provided earthworks and concrete Construction Quality Control (CQC) services for B2Gold's Fekola Mine in western Mali. Tierra Group overcame the remote location and kept a dedicated team on-site throughout the 2-year…

VIEW PROJECT

Los Filos Mine

Tierra Group was selected to assist Goldcorp with global Tailings Stewardship Strategy (TSS) implementation at all of Goldcorp’s active tailings sites in Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, and Guatemala). Tierra Group worked in conjunction with Goldcorp and another global engineering consulting…

VIEW PROJECT

Masbate Mine

Tierra Group performed a study of Masbate’s 12-Mt tailings storage facility. Services provided included a forensic study to determine the cause of seepage through an abutment and performed an independent safety audit of tailings management practices. A risk analysis was performed…

VIEW PROJECT

Tennessee Mines

Tierra Group performed Dam Safety Reviews (DSRs) for Nyrstar’s tailings storage facilities (TSFs) located in Tennessee, United States.  Tierra Group served as the Tailings Reviewer to ensure conformity with local regulations, the Nyrstar Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Standard, and to…

VIEW PROJECT