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The Group is committed to reducing water consumption where possible, as set out in its Environmental Policy. The Group HSS Committee is responsible for monitoring water use. The General Directors of the Group’s operations are responsible for implementing efficiency initiatives to minimise water consumption at site level.
Sources of water for use in new mining projects are considered in detail prior to commencement of construction and this analysis forms an integral part of any scoping or feasibility study. The KAZ Minerals Projects Division, together with senior management and the Board, considers the availability of fresh water for copper processing and any likely adverse effect on local communities or the surrounding environment before approving a new development project.
All of KAZ Minerals’ existing mining and processing sites benefit from access to sufficient fresh water and none of the Group’s operations are located in water stressed areas. The Group seeks to conserve and recycle as much water as possible, with the main sources of reusable water being from tailings and mine water inflow. The Aktogay, Bozshakol and Baimskaya sulphide concentrators are designed to recycle over 75% of water withdrawn from the environment and utilise processes to reduce potential losses through evaporation.
| 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 31,525 | 29,879 |
| Aktogay | 15,483 | 14,390 |
| Bozshakol | 7,566 | 6,543 |
| East Region | 8,146 | 8,525 |
| Bozymchak | 330 | 421 |
Water withdrawal across the Group increased by 6% in 2020, due to the continuous operation of the clay plant, which was upgraded in 2019. Consumption in the prior year also benefited from higher levels of reclaim from tailings facilities.
| 2020 | 2019 | |
| Aktogay | 0.45 | 0.32 |
| Bozshakol | 0.24 | 0.22 |
| East Region | 3.06 | 3.08 |
| Bozymchak | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Total | 0.45 | 0.38 |
The water intensity of the Group’s operations measured as cubic metres per tonne of ore processed also increased in 2020 to 0.45 m3/t (2019: 0.38 m3/t), mainly due to the reduction in the volume of ore processed to 70 Mt (2019: 78 Mt), including oxide ore placed on leach pads. The mining of oxide ore was suspended at Aktogay during the second and third quarters of 2020 while production focused on the re-irrigation of previously extracted material.
| 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Group | 31,525 | 29,879 |
| Surface water | 10,430 | 9,975 |
| Groundwater1 | 21,095 | 19,904 |
Total water extraction of 31,525 megalitres consisted of 10,430 megalitres extracted from surface water sources, including rivers or municipal water supplies, and 21,095 megalitres extracted from groundwater wells.
The total discharge of water back into the environment in 2020 increased to 2,236 megalitres (2019: 1,478 megalitres). Discharge of water took place at three locations in the East Region. Two of these locations are at underground mining operations which are situated long distances from the processing plants, making it uneconomic to pump the water back for reuse. The third discharge occurs at waste rock dumps adjacent to a retired open pit mine, where acidic drainage water is collected. At each of these locations, water inflow and discharge volumes vary, dependent on local precipitation. All discharge water is monitored and treated prior to release into the environment.