BMT WBM (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has completed an independent expert review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for the proposed Woodlark Island Gold Project, situated in the maritime province of Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea.
BMT was commissioned by the Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to provide technical review, advice and recommendations which were then incorporated into the final EIS Assessment Report for the Director of Environment to present to the Environment Council. BMT’s assessment was undertaken through a staged process which included a detailed technical review of the EIS and EMMP documentation and development of a numerical model to analyse the predictions made in the EIS regarding the behaviour of tailings from the Deep Sea Tailings Placement (DSTP) in the receiving environment.
Lyn Leger, Senior Environmental Consultant at BMT WBM explains: “In the review we undertook independent modelling based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and with Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) software to predict the behaviour of DSTP plumes and provide a basis for cross-checking the impact predictions generated by the modelling outlined in the EIS.”
Another key aspect of BMT WBM’s work included a thorough review of the sedimentation impacts in downstream waterways from the mining activities such as construction and operation of the mining voids. BMT WBM’s sister company, BMT Cordah also provided support in assessing potential social impacts related to food, water and cultural resources and helping to determine whether or not the local people’s livelihoods would be affected by the associated environmental impacts.
Dr Darren Richardson, Project Director at BMT WBM comments: “We are extremely proud to have been given the opportunity to support DEC with this project. Since presenting our findings to DEC enabling them to put forward a recommendation, the Environment Council has recently provided approval for this project – a true indicator of the confidence our team of experts instilled as part of our thorough, independent review.”
