Vale Canada Ltd.'s $2.8-billion nickel processing facility at Long Harbour in Newfoundland will be a showcase for the mining giant's newly developed hydrometallurgy refining technology when the plant is completed in early 2013.

Earlier this summer, 15 mine rescuers in three teams responded instantly to the call from the 1,000-m level at Vale's Stobie nickel mine in Ontario. They were at the accident scene within 80 minutes but, sadly, not in time to…