Looking to stimulate the development of integrated technology solutions to support the sustainability needs of their mining clients, Black & Veatch and Paterson & Cooke announced today their collaboration in offering industry stakeholders guidance on a unified approach to technology solutions in tailings, water and energy management.

Paterson & Cooke and Black & Veatch are leveraging their vast knowledge of best practices and project experience in the three domains in accordance with the rising expectations for higher environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards in the mining industry. The strategic collaboration is servicing the North American mining industry with technology solutions that meet the requirements of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management published in August 2020 by the Global Tailings Review, an initiative co-convened by the International Council on Mining and Metals, United Nations Environment Programme and the Principles for Responsible Investment.

Sustainability performance is a key foundation of license to operate and drives the need for improved tailings, water and energy management in the mining industry. There is a nexus between these domains, and each has a complex technology landscape and solution set. Efficient integration of engineering design across all three domains can deliver optimized solutions tailored to the unique mine-specific business and ESG drivers. Paterson & Cooke and Black & Veatch are collaborating to bring together their unique combination of experience, subject matter expertise and global reach to support mining clients in a more innovative way.

“The mining industry needs more innovation and collaboration to unlock the best solutions, especially in the areas of tailings, water and energy sustainability. These three domains have interdependencies which benefit from an integrated approach to achieve the most optimized life of mine management plan,” said Jim Spenceley, senior vice president of Black & Veatch’s mining business. “Collaboratively combining our expertise as a global leader in water and energy with Paterson & Cooke’s deep knowledge of tailings brings the right subject matter excellence together to solve for the optimal solutions.”

“Since our founding three decades ago, we have developed significant design and operational knowledge related to tailings systems, helping major mining companies and other industry stakeholders improve efficiencies in water usage and tailings management,” said Robert Cooke, a Paterson & Cooke co-founder with Angus Paterson. “Now more than ever, we’re excited about leveraging our combined proficiencies in this collaboration to drive meaningful value for clients.”