Innovative retaining wall solutions for sustainable mining expansion
As part of the expansion of the Los Bronces copper mine, Anglo American required the raising of the Las Tórtolas Tailings Dam to manage the increased production of copper to 400,000 tonne, making it the fifth largest copper mine in the world. We designed and supplied the retaining walls for both upstream and downstream structures.
Stage 1, completed in 2014, utilises 4730m² of TerraPlus modular precast concrete panels with GeoStrap® polymeric reinforcement. A waterproof membrane was applied to the upstream wall to prevent seepage, and the structure was designed to be raised to 22m in subsequent stages.
This solution enabled a compact design to minimise disruption, reduce costs, and withstand the extreme conditions of the site, including seismic loads of 0.33g.
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