Abstract
The Ok Tedi Mine, located in the Star Mountains in Papua New Guinea, is a copper-gold mine in operations since 1981 which disposes riverine mine tailings to the Ok Tedi. The riverine-disposed tailings have considerably altered the riparian landscape and environment along the banks of the Ok Tedi; the mine has developed and operates remediation projects to reduce the impacts to the area including dredging of sediment from the Ok Tedi. The mine was nationalized by the Government of Papua New Guinea in 2013; Ok Tedi Mining Ltd. (OTML) currently owns and operates the mine. Following the development of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management in 2020, OTML has progressed designs aiming to stop riverine tailings disposal and the establish an on-land tailings storage. This presentation will provide an overview of the project tailings management history, a summary of the scope of work to develop on-land tailings storage options, and OTML’s path forward for the 2050 mine life extension.