Stantec has been selected by Codelco (Corporacion Nacional de Cobre, Chile) to provide engineering and technical support for a CAN$16 million service agreement at multiple copper tailings sites in Chile.
Copper is an essential component to meeting the growing demands of the energy transition, and proper tailings management is part of delivering sustainable and responsible mineral projects.
Stantec will play a key role in supporting Codelco’s Tailings Project Management Office on projects associated with the company’s active tailings deposits. The team will review engineering deliverables, documents, and plans developed by third parties for the Talabre, Pampa Austral, Ovejería, and Carén tailings deposits. Stantec will also provide professional and engineering services as well as building information modelling (BIM) management. This project extends an existing contract with Codelco through September 2027.
“We are proud to partner with Codelco to deliver safe, sustainable, and responsible copper tailings management,” said Mario Finis, Executive Vice President of Energy & Resources at Stantec. “Copper is critical to the energy transition, and we must continue to commit to sustainable practices in all phases of mining of critical minerals and metals to meet the world’s growing needs.”
The work also includes tradeoff studies and the evaluation of new tailings technologies. Stantec will support the Codelco team in performing technical evaluations of thickened tailings, paste, or filtered tailings for their different operations and tailings facilities. Codelco is one of many companies exploring tailings options that decrease water use, reduce energy consumption, and have a smaller site footprint. These actions help reduce environmental impacts and make the mining industry more sustainable.
“Codelco has chosen Stantec’s team to continue in this role due to the excellent service provided during the previous contract, the technical quality of the professionals involved, and the great relationship with a team that is constantly surpassing expectations and helping Codelco to comply with their objectives,” added Gonzalo Caro Pineda, Project Director of Tailings Management Programme at Codelco.
Stantec and Codelco have partnered since 2017. Stantec served as engineer of record (EOR) for two of Codelco’s tailings deposits in the past. Strong partnerships with critical mineral mining companies reinforce Stantec’s commitment to decarbonisation.
Stantec provides tailings experience for projects across Central and South America. The firm led the Cerro Corona Gold Mine Tailings Dam Design in Cajamarca, Peru. Stantec also provided tailings-related services for the historically significant Antamina Copper Mine in the Ancash Region of Peru. Stantec is currently the EOR for Cerro Verde Tailings dam in Peru and was the EOR for Laguna Seca Tailings Storage Facility near Antofagasta, Chile.