Weir Plc (LON:WEIR) awarded £40m sustainable tailings solution contracts for one of the world’s largest tailings storage facilities in Talabre, Chile
Order including GEHO positive displacement pumps, WARMAN centrifugal pumps, and ancillary equipment to be booked in Q2
Weir has been selected by Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, to supply the tailings transport solution for the Talabre tailings dam expansion project in the Atacama region of Chile. The brownfield expansion project will combine the thickened tailings streams from three major mines in the area: Ministro Hales, Chuquicamata, and Radomiro Tomic. The expansion is expected to have a total productive life of 20 years, and handle a slurry thickened to ca. 70% solid content – creating the opportunity to reuse process water and increasing the safety and stability of the storage facility.
The Weir solution includes a combination of GEHO positive displacement pumps and WARMANâ centrifugal pumps to handle the large volume and high solid content of tailings from the three mines. With the full process enabled with NEXT intelligent digital solutions, the combined equipment will transport over 10 thousand dry tons per hour using less energy than other available solutions.
The initial £40m contract awards will be booked in Q2 2025. In total, the contracts represent the single largest order for Weir’s GEHO pumps, underlining the benefits of this technology for large scale, energy-efficient tailings transportation. We expect revenue to be recognised over the course of Q4 2025 and early 2026 in line with project cut-off dates. After commissioning of the equipment, aftermarket support will be provided locally via Weir’s strong service centre presence in the region.
The receipt of orders associated with the contract award do not result in a change to Weir’s full year 2025 financial guidance as of 24 April 2025.
Commenting on the contract awards, Jon Stanton, Chief Executive Officer said:
“We are delighted to have secured these significant contracts for our tailings management solutions, which include both our market leading GEHO and WARMAN ranges that provide energy-efficient tailings transportation at scale. Our engineers have developed a differentiated solution, particularly addressing Codelco’s stringent sustainability goals for operating in the water-scarce climate and geology of the Atacama region. Our proven experience on large scale tailings operations as well as local presence mean Codelco can come to expect the world class service Weir is known for.”
