SSR Mining, thanks to an independent review report commissioned Call & Nicholas (CNI) of a heap leach failure it suffered at the Çöpler operation, now knows the most likely cause was a deeply-rooted flaw in the third-party engineered design of the heap leach pad.
The review found that the assessment of the test data overestimated the shear strength properties of the liner system at the base of the heap leach at the Turkey property, resulting in insufficient shear strength along the liner interface to support the as-designed facility.
CNI also determined that the construction and operation of the heap leach pad were carried out in conformance with the engineered design parameters. The review did not find any evidence that excess water, ground vibrations from blasting, or stacking beyond the design caused the event.
“The independent expert review…has been an important body of work for the company to determine the cause of the Çöpler Incident. Knowing now that the failure was the result of an engineering design flaw, and not the result of a failure in our operation or construction of the pad, provides clarity and some reassurance to the team on the ground as we seek to restart the Çöpler mine,” said EC Rod Antal.
“We remain deeply saddened by the profound impact of this tragedy and we remain committed to Çöpler, the local communities and Türkiye.”
SSR Mining said it continues to work with relevant authorities to advance the required permits for the restart of the mine, but cannot currently provide a restart timeline or estimate.
Source: ssrmining.com