Sustainability website / Case Studies 2006 / Xstrata zinc / Spain: Xstrata Zinc's successful mine closure after 147 years of operation

Spain: Xstrata Zinc's successful mine closure after 147 years of operation

This is particularly true when the mine has been operating for almost 150 years and has been a significant contributor to a local water source for the last three decades.

Working with stakeholders

Three years after Xstrata Zinc's Reocín mine was closed, the mine site in northern Spain has become a recognised example of successful mine closure. Working with stakeholders – in particular regional and local authorities, regulators and local communities – in advance of closure, the mine was able to reach solutions that met the requirements of all parties, helping to achieve necessary regulatory approvals and going beyond regulatory requirements in the rehabilitation of water management, land and waste-tailings rehabilitation.

Water management

Water management presented a significant challenge at the operation. The Reocín mine is located in an area crossed by several streams and rivers. Water collects underground and is subsequently discharged to the Besaya River. This water is essential – particularly during summer months – to maintain appropriate water levels in the river for downstream industrial users. Water leaving the mine must meet both volume and quality requirements. Dewatering equipment and a water treatment plant were installed to deliver water with contaminant levels well below authorized limits. An environmental monitoring programme is conducted regularly on both river water and underground aquifer water, and the water treatment plant is monitored daily. Since the closure of the mine, water quality has continuously improved. If this trend continues, water treatment may no longer be necessary and local authorities could use this as a source of publicly-provided potable water.

Other issues

Other issues addressed during mine closure included the demolition and treatment of buildings, treatment of waste rock (mullock) dumps, soil rehabilitation, rain water collection and revegetation. Rehabilitation efforts covered more than 180 hectares and included the planting of native vegetation as well as more than 600 trees.

Donated to the community

A significant portion of the mine's property was fully rehabilitated and donated to the community. An office building will be used by the regional government as an educational institution.

One mine shaft will be used by the regional authorities either as a mining museum or as part of a new industrial development. Another restored area was transformed into a soccer ground and was donated to the town council and part of the tailings dam will be used by local authorities as a landfill site.

The heritage of the mine was another unique factor in considering its closure. Historical documents, books and ledgers from the mine have been preserved, together with nineteenth century laboratory and geological equipment. These artefacts will be donated to any future mining museum at the site or to other institutions to protect them from loss or destruction.

Minimising impacts on employees

The Reocín mine worked closely with authorities and unions to minimise impacts on the mine's 200 employees. More than 25% of the mine's employees took early retirement through the 'Miner's Statute' legislation, which provides for early access to pensions. All members of the workforce were assisted in finding employment with Xstrata or elsewhere. The skilled nature of Reocín employees, together with employee assistance programmes and industrial jobs available in the region, enabled all former employees seeking work to find new employment.

Using rehabilitated land

Local authorities are currently considering urban, industrial and public uses for the rehabilitated land. The closure plan and actions undertaken at Reocín were independently audited through the Xstrata HSEC Assurance Programme in January 2006, and were highlighted as an example of good practice in the mining industry. Reocín's closure process and the independent audit assessment report have been shared with other Xstrata sites, institutions and professional associations, such as the Spanish Geological Institute, which have recognised Reocín mine for its effective closure activities.