Kiena Mine | Val-d’Or, Québec | Mining
Waste Management Planning for the Kiena Mine
Planning the movement, storage and treatment of every major waste stream at a restarted underground gold mine, so environmental obligations, paste backfill demand and production ramp-up all run to one coordinated plan.
- Sector
- Mining, Underground Gold
- Location
- Val-d’Or, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Québec
- Scope
- Mine Waste Management Planning
- Services
- Planning & Design Engineering, Engineering Analytics
The Site
A Brownfield Mine Brought Back Into Production
The Kiena Mine sits within the Abitibi greenstone belt at Val-d’Or, one of Canada’s most established gold mining districts. A former producer with a deep hoisting shaft and an onsite mill, Kiena was restarted following the discovery of new high-grade zones at depth.
Restarting a brownfield mine is not the same as building a new one. Legacy infrastructure, historical tailings and existing permits sit alongside new facilities, including paste backfill and water treatment, and every waste stream must be managed while production ramps up.
The Challenge
Many Waste Streams, One Operating Mine
- Waste rock from development and stoping, each tonne needing a planned destination
- Tailings split between underground paste backfill and the Tailings Management Area
- Contact water from the mine, runoff and process, routed to treatment or recycle
- Tailings Management Area works scheduled around an operating mill
- Non-hazardous and hazardous site waste segregated and diverted from landfill
- A plan that satisfies regulators, operators and sustainability commitments at once
Our Scope
What We Planned
Waste Stream Inventory & Forecasting
A consolidated register of waste streams, generation sources and forecast quantities through the mine plan.
Waste Rock Placement Planning
Destinations and sequencing for development and stope waste, including underground placement and surface storage.
Tailings & Paste Backfill Integration
Planning the balance between tailings returned underground as paste fill and tailings deposited at surface.
Water Management Interfaces
Collection, treatment and recycle routes for contact water, integrated with the site water balance.
Site Waste & Diversion Planning
Segregation, recycling and handling plans for non-hazardous and hazardous waste.
Schedule Integration & Sequencing
Waste-related works sequenced against production, development and Tailings Management Area activities.
Monitoring & Reporting Framework
Key indicators, reporting cadence and responsibilities to track the plan against performance.
Closure & Reclamation Readiness
Planning decisions made with progressive reclamation and eventual closure in mind.
Risk & Contingency Planning
Contingencies for storage capacity, water events and equipment availability.
Mine Waste Management Planning Framework
Each waste stream has a source, a management route and a destination. A single planning layer ties them to the mine schedule.
Swipe sideways to see the full diagram.
Our Approach
How We Built the Plan
Inventory
Identify every waste stream, its source and its forecast quantity over the mine plan.
Route
Define the management route and destination for each stream, with alternatives.
Sequence
Integrate waste works into the production and development schedule.
Monitor
Set indicators and reporting so the plan stays current as the mine evolves.
Why It Matters
In an underground mine, waste management is part of the critical path. Paste backfill depends on tailings availability; stope sequencing depends on backfill; surface storage depends on Tailings Management Area capacity; and every water event tests the plan.
Treating waste as a planned, engineered system, rather than a set of separate permits, gives operators fewer surprises, clearer reporting and a stronger foundation for closure.
Related Services
Capabilities Applied on This Project
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