Senior Consultant (Geotechnical/Tailings)
SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd
Jamie Spiers (MSc DIC, BSc Hons) is a Senior Consultant (Tailings Engineering) with over 12 years of experience in tailings and mine waste engineering, geotechnical engineering and environmental studies. Jamie has managed a broad range of projects involving foundations investigation and design, tailings storage facility and waste rock dump design, mine site closure design and closure costing.
Mine Waste Management in Europe for the 21st Century- Best Available Techniques and Lessons Learnt Presented by Jamie Spiers, Jane Joughin and Melanie Cox
Effective and safe disposal of mine wastes presents significant environmental and technical challenges to mining operators worldwide. This workshop will concentrate on review of the current EU requirements/initiatives related to mineral waste management and Best Available Techniques (BAT) related to safe operation of mine waste facilities.
The workshop will comprise three interactive sessions covering the following topics:
• Mineral waste management requirements aspirations – Outline of the EU mine waste directive requirements and best available techniques guidance, how this aligns with best practice defined in other OECD countries and trends influencing future visions of best practice.
• Mineral waste characterisation – . Under legislative requirements in the EU, operators use geochemistry assessments to meet classification requirements, but also understand potential environmental impacts from the waste. This session explores the EU approach to mine waste characterisation, how characterisation of waste can impact the design of mines in general and the challenges associated with re-use of mine wastes in certain settings
• Design, operation and stewardship of Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) – Embankment breach incidents at large TSFs around the world have led to an increased emphasis on mine waste facility design, operational management, effective monitoring systems and technical stewardship. This session will focus on the key elements required to minimise risk through the tailings storage life cycle from conceptual design to closure. A key emphasis of this session will be on design and management of hydraulically placed tailings in the EU and other OECD jurisdictions.