SRK Consulting* discusses how climate change is demanding innovative thinking when considering additional risks to TSF structures going forward.
Climate change is not a new phenomenon, and climatic conditions are not static. For the past few decades, and more so during the past decade, conversations have been taking place regarding the science and engineering related to climate change. While much is required to be done in this regard, environmental considerations have always been an integral aspect of how tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are designed and operated. The growing impact of climate change is demanding innovative thinking to understand and address the additional risks imposed on these structures.
The urgency of this task was brought into focus with the recent publication of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), which refers, inter alia, specifically to climate change as an important factor to consider. In particular, the GISTM’s requirements cover the need to develop and update the knowledge base related to each tailings facility - using approaches aligned with international best practices. This knowledge according to the GISTM, should ‘capture uncertainties due to climate change’. The other key element required is a ‘robust design’ which integrates the knowledge base and minimises the risk of failure. The standards also expect that the principal of adaptive management is to be closely observed, to ensure that necessary modifications are applied when conditions change.
All phases of the TSF life cycle must be addressed in this way, including not only during its operational years but its closure and its postclosure stages as well. This means that the future and longer-term implications of changing climatic conditions have to be predicted as scientifically as possible.
This, of course, is no simple task. The scientific and engineering responses to climate change implications have long been evolving, with public awareness growing for many years. There is still much to be learnt and applied in the fields of science and engineering regarding TSFs, as traditional wisdom needs constant augmentation.
