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Topic Presenter: Elis Smedley (Mine Earth)

Date: 7 February 2023

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

Presentation Overview:  

Commencing in 2016, Newcrest (now Newmont) initiated an ongoing progressive rehabilitation campaign for waste dumps at the Telfer mine. Situated in the eastern Pilbara within the Great Sandy Desert, Telfer poses unique challenges for mining landform closure.

The presentation outlines a framework for an effective progressive rehabilitation campaign, emphasising continual improvement. Various approaches have been trialled during rehabilitation works, and the presentation will showcase how this iterative process has refined the closure strategy at Telfer. Key aspects covered include challenges, successes, and lessons learned in rehabilitating both sloped surfaces and flat areas. Insights on the impact of climate variability in arid zones will also be explored. Lastly, the presentation underscores the increasing integration of mine closure into the mining process in response to the learnings from progressive rehabilitation campaign.

Presenter Profile

Elis is an environmental engineer with 18 years’ experience. He joined Mine Earth in 2013 where he leads their Engineering Team. Elis and his team prepare closure cost estimates, develop closure landform designs and design documentation, undertake closure options assessments and optimisation studies, undertake cover modelling and design, prepare surface water and erosion assessments, and prepare construction documentation and manage delivery of rehabilitation projects. This experience, particularly rehabilitation project delivery, provides valuable insights that Mine Earth feed back into the closure planning and design phases.

Elis will be sharing insights into the challenges and learnings gleaned from seven year of progressive rehabilitation at Telfer.