industry
SeverMin applies to raise the Shaft 9 tailings wall
The company says the higher wall is needed to keep the mine open; northern councils have objected.
SeverMin has applied to raise the retained tailings wall at its Shaft 9 facility by four metres, the same wall whose failure in 2018 contaminated the Bistrica River.
The company says the raise is needed to extend the life of the mine and to avoid closing the bauxite workings within a decade. Federal inspectors are reviewing the application, which requires a fresh operating licence.
The councils of Bistrica and Severnivaraje have lodged objections, citing this week’s disclosures about the wall’s earlier inspection history. The Iron Citadel site has been the focus of northern protests since 2018, when demonstrators blockaded its access road.