Sandy Ridge Mining and Geology Update – August 2020
Tellus Holdings Ltd (Tellus) is pleased to provide further details on the progress at its Sandy Ridge Facility. Mining of the first pit (waste cell) is now well underway and the project continues to be delivered on schedule and budget.
We invite you to view highlights of the mining under the air dome to develop the first cell and an overview of the unique geology of the site, by watching the short video linked below.
The unique site characteristics of the Sandy Ridge Facility provide natural barriers to permanently isolate waste from the biosphere and it meets best practice site selection criteria for a near surface geological repository.
‘The key difference between a landfill and a geological repository is that landfills rely on man-made containment barriers which cannot permanently isolate the waste. A geological repository relies on the natural geological barriers to isolate the materials from the biosphere and hence can permanently isolate the waste for hundreds of thousands to millions of years. Since a geological repository can pass the “Passive Safety Test” there is no requirement to actively maintain the facility after the Institutional Control Period. Hence there is no material risk passed on to future generations,’ said Duncan van der Merwe, Tellus Managing Director.
Completion of the final build stage is on target for Q3 2020. Upon completion, full commercial operations including both an expanded surface storage capacity and in cell placement are expected to commence, subject to applicable approvals and operating license conditions.
