Software crucial to modernising TSF reporting & governance

Highlights

Due to increased stakeholder pressure for better governance and ESG reporting, mining companies are being forced to review their siloed systems to ensure information can flow easily and that decisions or actions can be made efficiently.
Decipher and K2Fly have come together to combine their complementary technology strengths to create a solution to help tier 1 and 2 mining companies address the key elements of tailings management, governance, monitoring and disclosure. Find out more about the solution.
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In every mining company, there is a plethora of systems, often spreadsheets, that hold information of critical value to the corporate entity that are not aggregated or well governed. Added to this, the lack of transparency and speed of information flow can often create further weaknesses where decisions, or a lack of action at the operation can have dramatic negative effects on a company’s corporate reputation and potential future access to capital. Modernising the reporting, governance and compliance requires mining companies to invest in modern technology solutions that increase the connectivity between data, knowledge and decision makers right across their operations, and establishes stakeholder confidence in the governance of the processes and accountabilities. In addition to this, there is also industry pressure to speed up this process.

See what score you get for your TSF management

For example, the release of the Global Tailings Standard (GTS) sets a new benchmark for multi-stakeholder collaboration, governance and drive to improve industry performance on tailings storage facilities (TSF), as well as sending a strong signal to the mining industry that ESG performance needs to improve.

Tailings is a crucial part of this governance landscape. Typically, many tailings experts are external to the mining company so they tend to have a limited ability to “reach” into their client’s document management systems in the lead up to a formal review.

K2Fly Chief Commercial Officer, Nic Pollock said miners will need to implement structural organisational change, replicating what is being implemented to manage the GTS to ensure proper accountability across the organisation and disclosure.

“We’re seeing capital, not governments, dictate improved performance in ESG for mining companies and other industries. “And there is a real sense of urgency around the change needed, given the impact on social licence and the real threat of projects being held up for extended periods to review.”

The solution

After hearing the industry’s challenges, Decipher and K2Fly have come together to combine their complementary technology strengths to create a solution to help tier 1 and 2 mining companies address the key elements of tailings management, governance, monitoring and disclosure. The partnership, and the software solution provided, offers a direct response to a recently published report by KPMG which recognised tailings management as one of the top 10 risks to the global mining industry. Decipher Chief Executive, Anthony Walker said:

“The resources industry needs a solution that is cost effective, comprehensive and accessible – and we can deliver on that.”

A large number of K2fly’s Mineral Inventory Governance and Reporting clients have drawn a direct link between Resource Governance and Tailings Governance. With the broader importance of ESG, this is a positive step forward in how these issues need to be framed, considered and responded to. Drawing on this experience, the detailed Governance and Monitoring solution is designed to bring a variety of tailings data such as IoT devices, LiDAR, radar, CCTV, drones, inspections and remote sensing into one central location, as a way of monitoring potential failure modes. Reporting from the solution ensures that key personnel (site and corporate) are regularly informed of the facility’s performance and notified of customer defined exceedances. The solution has also been designed to provide independent users (auditors, ITRB, insurance companies) with a quick and effective knowledge management tool so that you can visually demonstrate good governance, enable better understanding of the facility and as a result, reduce insurance premiums or improve investor sentiment. Our new integrated governance dam and tailings software solution will help mining companies ensure TSFs are designed, constructed, monitored, managed, and overseen in accordance to the GTS. The solution will provide:

Management and governance around key stakeholders in Tailings Facility lifecycle
Workflows and audit tracking for transparency in reporting
Capturing/sourcing and searching documentation
Controlling the functioning of the Independent Tailings Review Board
Advanced monitoring tools such as earth observations (NDVI, NDRE, NDWI, MSAVI), InSAR, IoT and LiDAR, Landform & Erosion, Environmental Monitoring & Sampling to monitor performance and potential risks
Tools to manage obligations and actions

Now is the time for governance structures, codes and systems that support mining ESG initiatives to be put in place to prevent further disasters. Contact us to discuss our Governance and Monitoring solution, or your requirements.

Effectively monitor your tailings storage facility with Decipher

Decipher’s Tailings solution is designed to provide you with key data and insights, enabling you to effectively monitor your TSF and your environmental obligations and compliance. Our solution can be securely accessed by industry, regulators, designers and operators involved in the management of TSFs. Decipher offers a comprehensive and functionally rich solution which combines regulatory (Compliance Management Software), mining waste management, stakeholder engagement, environmental monitoring, and environmental management system (EMS) tools to assist with tailings management:

View real-time data and receive exceedance alerts
Monitor land movement with remote sensing and InSAR datasets
Visualise real-time LiDAR data with insights into dam movement
Securely store and access all of your tailings data in the one place
Upload and reference key documentation
Visualise facilities across multiple sites in a single screen on a geospatial map
Monitor your facilities with InSAR, LiDAR, DEM and more
Capture a wide range of monitoring data and indicators su ch as surface and groundwater, decant pond water levels and quality, and embankment conditions
Capture and track obligations and conditions around your licence to operate to manage your key risks and actions
Action and task delegation for data collection with reminders
Maintain and track environmental monitoring compliance limits and exceedances
Manage and engage with all of your stakeholders with one central repository
Convert your engagements into actionable outcomes
Forecast, plan and track your sites activities using IBM’s Weather data
Create corporate report templates and meet requests for data provision from industry groups such as ICMM, Global Tailings Portal, PRI and UNEP
Integration capability with third party systems or public portals such as the Global Tailings Portal