Anglesey Mining PLC (AIM:AYM) has hired consultants Knight Piésold to design a tailings storage system at its Parys Mountain project and to provide a geotechnical assessment of the underground development.
AIM-traded Anglesey is developing the Parys Mountain copper-zinc-lead-silver-gold deposit in North Wales.
“The commencement of the tailings storage facility design stage is a very important aspect of the Parys Mountain work programme and a key element of the overall permitting process,” said Anglesey chief executive Jo Battershill.
“Building on the extensive studies and site monitoring from previous years, the Parys Mountain mine plan is being designed to optimise extraction from the underground mine but at the same time minimise the volume of tailings and overall visual impact.
“When combined with the highest modern standards of tailings management we expect Parys Mountain to have negligible adverse impact on the surrounding environment.”
The work will include an initial tailings scoping study and an assessment of extensive pre-existing site data.
Following the data review and a recent site visit by engineers from Knight Piésold, a leading geotechnical and engineering consultant, storage methods will be considered including filtered stacking (dry stack) and conventional.
A detailed feasibility study will then be conducted.
On the geotechnical front, Knight Piésold has started logging recently drilled and orientated core and analysing the data to assist with rock mass characterisation and the development of a basic ground-support model.
“While the geotechnical conditions experienced in the underground development from 1989-91 were considered excellent, modelling of geotechnical domains requires updating and will feed into the next round of mine optimisation work to assist in maximising underground spans and potential extraction rates,” Battershill said.