Weir has been selected by Codelco to supply the tailings transport solution for the Talabre tailings dam expansion project in the Atacama region of Chile.

The brownfield expansion project will combine the thickened tailings streams from three major mines in the area: Ministro Hales, Chuquicamata and Radomiro Tomic. The expansion is expected to have a total productive life of 20 years and handle a slurry thickened to circa-70% solid content – creating the opportunity to reuse process water and increasing the safety and stability of the storage facility.

The Weir solution includes a combination of GEHO^® positive displacement pumps and WARMAN^® centrifugal pumps to handle the large volume and high solid content of tailings from the three mines. With the full process enabled with NEXT intelligent digital solutions, the combined equipment will transport over 10,000 t/h (dry) using less energy than other available solutions, Weir says.

The initial £40 million ($54 million) contract awards will be booked in the June quarter.

In total, the contracts represent the single largest order for Weir’s GEHO pumps, underlining the benefits of this technology for large scale, energy-efficient tailings transportation.

After commissioning of the equipment, aftermarket support will be provided locally via Weir’s service centre presence in the region.

Jon Stanton, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to have secured these significant contracts for our tailings management solutions, which include both our market leading GEHO and WARMAN ranges that provide energy-efficient tailings transportation at scale. Our engineers have developed a differentiated solution, particularly addressing Codelco’s stringent sustainability goals for operating in the water-scarce climate and geology of the Atacama region. Our proven experience on large scale tailings operations as well as local presence mean Codelco can come to expect the world class service Weir is known for.”