Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In
Built byBoxcut Studio

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Safety
    Sustainability
    Standard/Guideline

    BHP–Rio Tinto tailings consortium: dewatering design notes for mine engineers

    May 12, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    BHP–Rio Tinto tailings consortium: dewatering design notes for mine engineers

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    BHP and Rio Tinto have formed a Tailings Management Consortium (TMC) and issued joint guidance focused on improving tailings dewatering and storage facility management. The collaboration targets higher degrees of dewatering to move operations away from conventional slurry dams towards safer, lower‑footprint options such as thickened, filtered or dry‑stacked tailings, in line with emerging global standards. Both miners state they will share operational learnings and design practices across industry, signalling more open benchmarking of tailings performance and risk controls.

    Technical Brief

    • Guidance is expected to influence design criteria for new tailings storage facilities and brownfield retrofits.
    • Consortium model creates a common reference for consultants and OEMs engaged in tailings dewatering projects.
    • For other miners, the move signals tighter benchmarking of tailings risk controls and disclosure expectations.

    Our Take

    BHP and Rio Tinto’s work through the Tailings Management Consortium sits alongside their recent joint research on large‑scale filtered tailings, signalling that both majors are now testing higher‑cost filtration and stacking options that could become de facto benchmarks for large iron ore and copper operations.

    The renewed focus on tailings practice for BHP comes as it continues to face legal exposure over the 2015 Fundão dam failure, so any standards emerging from this collaboration are likely to be shaped with cross‑jurisdictional liability and disclosure requirements firmly in mind.

    In our database of 1,186 mining stories, relatively few safety‑tagged pieces involve two Tier‑1 miners like BHP and Rio Tinto working together, which suggests that outcomes from this consortium may carry unusual weight with regulators and mid‑tier operators looking for defensible tailings governance models.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Expander pivot pins: reducing long-term maintenance costs for mine fleets
    Mining
    about 9 hours ago

    Expander pivot pins: reducing long-term maintenance costs for mine fleets

    Hidden costs from traditional pivot pin maintenance on haul trucks, forestry harvesters and excavators are driving interest in Expander System’s oversized pivot pins with tapered sleeves, according to Nord-Lock Group head of sales Robin Persson. The retrofit design allows installation in worn pivot eyes without line boring or welding, using conical sleeves to create full-surface contact and reduce clearance growth. For mine maintenance teams, this can cut repeated pin replacement shutdowns and lower life-cycle costs on high-load joints such as dump body hinges, loader booms and articulation points.

    Canadian Chrome Company First Nations committee: M&A risk notes for project teams
    Mining
    about 9 hours ago

    Canadian Chrome Company First Nations committee: M&A risk notes for project teams

    Canadian Chrome Company has formed a three-person First Nations steering committee, including former Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Okimaw-Hall and former Marten Falls Chief Lawrence Baxter, to advise on its Ring of Fire chromite, nickel, copper and platinum assets in Ontario’s James Bay Lowlands. The committee will provide Indigenous perspectives to prospective buyers or partners ahead of any sale or merger involving CCC’s 90% interest in the Koper Lake project and 30% in the Big Daddy project. Both projects remain at pre‑PFS stage, with no new economic analysis disclosed.

    Boron One Serbia PEA update: economics and design notes for mine planners
    Mining
    about 9 hours ago

    Boron One Serbia PEA update: economics and design notes for mine planners

    Boron One’s updated PEA for the Piskanja underground boron project in southern Serbia lifts the after-tax IRR to 89% and NPV (10% discount) to US$558.8 million, with unchanged initial capex of US$79.9 million and a sub‑one‑year payback, but shortens mine life to 13 years and trims average annual EBITDA to US$87.7 million. The plan now targets average yearly output of 157,600 tonnes of colemanite, 83,800 tonnes of ulexite and 25,000 tonnes of boric acid, at all‑in sustaining costs of US$231.44 per tonne. The revised study incorporates new geotechnical testing, a 3D resource model by borate type and a binding offtake for at least 25,000 tonnes of boron products per year, subject to permitting and plant qualification.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental