MINING CONSULTANTS teams in everything from renewable energy to modular construction, bridges to roads and airstrips, and, yes, ports, is a huge benefit to our clients. But the magic is taking this discipline expertise and applying it through a mining lens, truly understanding our clients’ drivers, constraints and goals.”
This varied expertise is helping WSP holistically tackle one of the highest cost items on a mine site’ s spreadsheet – energy.
“ Finding ways to reduce energy demand, while also transitioning to greener sources, is a priority for many companies,” Beauchamp said.“ It’ s not just about the cost of energy, but also the reliability and the availability of that energy. We all know that remote sites don’ t commonly have access to a grid, but there are increasingly instances where there is a nearby grid, but it doesn’ t have enough capacity available to support a new mine development. In these cases, the need for energy savings, efficiency and onsite power generation solutions is of even greater importance.”
One energy-intensive process the company is regularly putting under the microscope for clients is the widely used semi-autogenous grinding and ball mill circuit( SABC) in mineral processing.
“ Smaller operations can still look at staged crushing circuits to reduce energy consumption,” Beauchamp said of SABC alternatives.“ For very hard materials, we
might look at high pressure grinding rolls( HPGRs), which have significant energy savings compared to an SABC. As we get into lower grade and harder materials, with the‘ easy’ orebodies depleting, we’ re seeing an increased interest in HPGR and have supported clients in studies and implementing this option at their sites.” Deciding on which route to take always starts with test work, and, based on the specific material, WSP develops an appropriate process that optimises recovery and energy usage.“ We also leverage the expertise of our power and energy teams to look at a wide range of options, including renewables, for a site’ s power mix,” Beauchamp said.“ This allows us to bring our mining clients the right solutions for their evolving energy and operational needs, so that they have the power they need to maximise the recovery of the ore they have.”
This is just a snapshot of the industry need to embrace innovation in the face of accelerated change, according to Beauchamp.
“ To remain competitive and relevant, organisations must be nimble enough to adapt and ready to innovate,” he said,“ all while remaining grounded in sound science and engineering principles.
“ And as we work to meet the growing demand for mined materials, we can’ t lose sight of the bigger picture. Innovation
is essential, but so is responsibility. Responsible mining – prioritising environmental stewardship, social responsibility and ethical governance – has to be at the core of everything we do.”
As a consultancy, we’ re also actively engaged in strengthening old, and developing new, strategic relationships with engineering service providers,” Stantec’ s Greg
Gillian says
Stantec: Sustainability from start to finish
For Greg Gillian, Vice President of Mining, Minerals & Metals at Stantec, responsible and sustainable mining starts with planning beyond the mine’ s planned life.
“ We use this planning as a starting block and work backwards to develop a sustainable project – in all senses of the word,” he told IM.“ This might include concepts such as alternative routes for product delivery, such as new revenue and reducing the resultant operational downstream liability.”
Specific examples in a mineral processing sense include modular process scale-up
EVERY HEAP IS DIFFERENT
We’ ve designed and built heap leach projects since heap leaching was first developed in the early 1970s.
There are still a lot of failures – due to permeability, heap stability, or lack of respect for the topography – KCA can ensure that your heap starts up quickly, and works as designed. We are not just design engineers – we acted as EPCM contractors on the heaps in these photos – if you want experience and innovation on your side, call us for your next project. kcareno. com Call Carl or Dan( US) 775-972-7575
International Mining | AUGUST 2025 37