Tetra Tech finds the most practical and cost-effective solutions for its mining and oil and gas clients—from planning and approvals through development and operations into rehabilitation and closure development.
Tetra Tech’s highly regarded mining and resources services team consists of experts in engineering, ecology, groundwater and surface water management, environmental planning and approvals, contamination remediation, geotechnical engineering, and mine closure. Our client base includes companies operating in iron ore, precious and base metals, mineral sands, uranium, and alumina. We have worked with junior and mid-tier miners and major mining houses across the entire mining asset life cycle.
Environmental, Heritage, and Social
Our environmental and social performance specialists manage all mining-related environmental and social risks. We provide services in baseline technical studies and ongoing monitoring of biodiversity, soils, groundwater and surface water resources, and cultural and built heritage sites. We assist in project approvals, environmental impact assessments, and permitting documentation under state, territory, and commonwealth legislation, including identification of appropriate environmental offsets to mitigate significant residual impacts. We also prepare and implement mine environmental management, bushfire management, and rehabilitation plans as well as establish on-site monitoring, compliance, audit, and management programs to support effective operations.
We provide stakeholder perception analysis, engagement plans, and social impact management plans to support our clients’ operations within the local community.
Health and Safety
We are a leading authority in assessing hazardous materials and noise and vibration impacts. We assess the health and safety risks for a range of project tasks including contaminant monitoring, ventilation, and air condition assessments; confined space entry testing; and occupational hygiene assessments. We also develop appropriate safe working practices and control systems and train our clients’ workforce to use them appropriately.
Mine Closure
Our mine closure planning and restoration specialists create an integrated approach to mine closure and rehabilitation to achieve positive social, environmental, and financial outcomes. We draw on our diverse range of expertise in stakeholder management, ecological and heritage services, environmental approvals and planning, mine engineering, and contaminated site remediation. We work with our clients to develop stable, post-mining landforms that comply with relevant legislation and regulatory guidelines.
Tailings Engineering
Our tailings specialists deliver innovative storage solutions offering both economic and environmental advantages over traditional methods, including integrated waste landforms and in-pit tailings storage. We bring a thorough understanding of the local environment and relevant mineral processing operations, regulatory constraints, and tailings storage methods and management practices to fully optimise site selection, design, construction, operation, and closure of containment structures.
We are experienced in the design of a wide range of containment facility types including aboveground single- and multi-cell paddock-type, valley-type, and in-pit storages, as well as thickened tailings and filtered tailings or dry stacking. Our comprehensive range of tailings services for surface and underground storage facilities covers the civil, geotechnical, geological, and geoenvironmental fields across all stages of the life of the mine.
Geotechnical
Our teams address each project’s unique, complex, and local ground conditions early in the design phases. From pit to port, we advise on foundation conditions for all infrastructure and facility developments. Tetra Tech’s 3D numerical simulations allow clients to view the project’s complex conditions and increase the likelihood of cost-effective, long-term solutions. Our virtual reality application supports optimisation and value engineering, allowing the project team to see the entire site in 3D, spot imperfections, adjust design, and find the right solution from the beginning. Our instrumentation and monitoring programs validate these results to reduce maintenance costs and project risk.
Engineering
Our team provides expert engineering services for feasibility studies; engineering design; and engineering, procurement, and construction/construction management (EPC/EPCM) project delivery. We develop sustainable, cost-effective solutions for every project challenge. Our comprehensive engineering and project delivery services cover the entire mining project life cycle, from identification to operations.