CLIENT: Conuma Resources
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
PRI was retained by Conuma Resources Ltd. to assess tailings storage options for several new mines and advance conceptual and detailed design for required dam modifications and new facilities at the Quintette Mine. The assessment identified two primary solutions: raising the existing Shikano North TSF by 5 to 10 metres, and constructing a new approximately 15-metre high dam downstream of the Flooded Shikano Pit (FSP). PRI’s mandate spans site investigation, instrumentation, conceptual and detailed design, dam breach analysis, and long-term engineering support through construction, operations, and closure.
CHALLENGE:
Determining viable tailings storage capacity for expanding mine operations required a multi-site assessment that balanced geotechnical constraints, existing facility conditions, and the feasibility of new infrastructure. Both the Shikano North TSF raise and the proposed FSP dam required thorough subsurface investigation before design could advance, including characterization of foundation conditions, assessment of existing embankment behaviour, and evaluation of permafrost and thermal conditions through instrumentation. Coordinating sequential geotechnical and geophysical investigations across active mine infrastructure added further complexity to the program.
APPROACH:
PRI completed a geotechnical investigation through the Shikano North TSF embankment and its foundation, and installed new piezometers and thermistors connected to an upgraded telemetry system to support ongoing monitoring. Conceptual design for the Shikano North TSF raise has been completed, with detailed design to follow. For the FSP TSF, PRI completed a geophysical investigation of the proposed dam area to inform a subsequent geotechnical investigation program, upon which the detailed design will be based. Conceptual design for the new downstream dam has also been completed. Looking ahead, PRI will complete dam breach analyses and inundation mapping using FLO-2D and/or HEC-RAS 2D for both TSFs, update their consequence classifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and provide Conuma with engineering support through construction, operations, and eventual closure.
OUTCOME:
PRI’s tailings storage assessment provided Conuma Resources Ltd. with a clear and technically defensible path forward for accommodating mine expansion within the constraints of existing and new infrastructure. The sequential investigation and design program has systematically de-risked both the Shikano North TSF raise and the proposed FSP dam, with detailed designs advancing on the basis of site-specific geotechnical data. The upgraded instrumentation and telemetry system at Shikano North has enhanced real-time monitoring capability, supporting both ongoing dam safety oversight and the EOR responsibilities PRI holds for these facilities.