Three Canadian Mining Companies in Brazil Silent on Tailings Dam Structures following Brumadinho Disaster
by MiningWatch Canada
February 4, 2019
According to the GRID-Arendal Report and an independent panel Report following the Mount Polley disaster, “upstream” or “cascading” dams are the most dangerous. This design builds dams inwards, with upper levels added partly on top of accumulated tailings, not a solid engineered base.
Indeed, recent examples of catastrophic mine spills have come from these kinds of dam structures.
Aftermath of Brumadinho Spill (source: Gazeta do Povo)
MiningWatch has identified at least 65 Canadian-owned mining projects in the prospecting to production stage spread out across Brazil. The majority of these mines and projects are gold mines, but also include other minerals like iron, nickel and graphite. Of these 65 projects, fifteen are in production, and another five are in development or construction.
MiningWatch contacted the companies with mines beyond post-feasibility stage, requesting they identify the dam-type present at or planned for their mines. Out of the nine companies contacted, responses were received from six. Three out of the six companies who responded are still storing wet tailings, but are using a variation of downstream and centreline construction methods. The other three are using dry stacking tailing storage.
The silence on the part of those three Canadian companies who have not yet responded is alarming. Between them, these companies have six operating mines and one in temporary suspension. Jaguar Mining’s (TSX- JAG) Cayete Complex in Minas Gerais (the State where both the Brumadinho and Mariana disasters occurred) houses two producing mines a mere 40km from the urban centre of Belo Horizonte. Its Turmalina mine is also in Minas Gerais. Aura Minerals (TSX-ORA) has been silent on its Pau-a-Pique and São Francisco mines.
Finally, and potentially most concerning, is Yamana Gold (TSX-YRI). Yamana currently has two operating mines in northern Brazil, the Jacobina (gold) and Chapada (gold-copper) mines. The mines are large: Jacobina has a daily mill capacity of 6500 tonnes and Chapada has flotation plant capacity to treat up to 22 million tonnes annually (over 60,000 tonnes/day).
How Canadian-companies store their tailings are of significant concern for us, making Yamana’s silence even more worrisome. With the shadow of the Mount Polley disaster looming in our own country’s recent history, there is definite need for Canadians to reflect on what our companies do at home, and abroad.
As Brazilians attempt to sift through the debris of the most tragic spill the country has experienced in terms of human cost, we worry that a Canadian-owned mine could be next.
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