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Topic Presenter: Stephen Bourhill, Senior Project Engineer, Ventia

Date: 27th September 2023

Time: 12:30 to 13:30 (Australian Western Standard Time)

Presentation Overview:  

Novel techniques have recently been used during the rehabilitation of the Ranger Uranium mine in the Kakadu National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Northern Territory, Australia.

As part of the rehabilitation design, the mine’s main pit has been designated as long-term underground storage for uranium tailings and for brine waste from the mine’s Water Treatment Plant process. The 280m deep pit was mostly filled, and brine needed to be injected into the base of the pit, while the covering layer of soupy/saturated tailings needed to be consolidated quickly to meet the mine closure deadline.

This presentation will include details on the below items from a contractor’s perspective:

• Delivery of the large-scale installation of Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVDs) / Wick Drains into the tailings layer
• Delivery of the injection well drilling completed to allow for the injection of brine into the base of the pit
• Lessons learnt and challenges faced (with a focus on the PVD installation)

Presenter Profile

Stephen Bourhill is a Senior Project Engineer with Ventia and for the past eight years has been remediating contaminated sites around Australia, most recently at Ranger Mine.

Stephen is committed to restoring contaminated land sites and protecting the environment through the safe and successful delivery of large and complex remediation works. While maintaining focus on management of all remediation activities, his specialities lie in the design and construction of engineering solutions that enable complex remediation.

Before joining the industry Stephen worked in traditional construction in the United Arab Emirates and Africa.
Ventia is one of the largest essential services providers in Australia and New Zealand and proudly provides the services that keep infrastructure working for our communities.