Precious metals miner SSR Mining said on Thursday that the February 2024 heap leach failure at its Çöpler gold mine in Türkiye was owing to a design flaw in the third-party engineered plan.
An independent investigation by Call & Nicholas concluded that the failure was caused by an overestimation of the shear strength properties of the liner system at the base of the heap leach facility. The miscalculation inflated safety margins in the design, leading to insufficient shear strength along the liner interface to support the structure as designed.
SSR pointed out that the review confirmed that the miner’s construction and operation of the heap leach pad adhered to the design specifications. Furthermore, no evidence was found to suggest that excess water, blasting vibrations, or over-stacking contributed to the incident.
Executive chairperson Rod Antal described the findings as a significant step in understanding the cause of the incident, which claimed the lives of nine workers.
“Knowing now that the failure was the result of an engineering design flaw, and not the result of a failure in our operation or construction of the pad, provides clarity and some reassurance to the team on the ground as we seek to restart the Çöpler mine.”
Antal reiterated the company’s commitment to Çöpler, its local communities, and Türkiye, while acknowledging the ongoing impact of the tragedy.
The company continues to engage with authorities to secure the necessary permits for the mine’s restart. SSR has not provided a timeline for resuming operations. 