NICKEL: Ceremony opens Vale’s Long Harbour hydromet plant

NEWFOUNDLAND - On Wed., Nov. 19, Vale SA held a ceremony officially opening its Long Harbour plant to treat concentrates from the Voisey's Bay nickel-copper-cobalt mine near Nain. This plant is the first to use hydrometallurgical technology to...

Topics

Commodities

Regions

Tags

Companies

NEWFOUNDLAND - On Wed., Nov. 19, Vale SA held a ceremony officially opening its Long Harbour plant to treat concentrates from the Voisey's Bay nickel-copper-cobalt mine near Nain. This plant is the first to use hydrometallurgical technology to treat sulphide nickel ores without generating carbon dioxide emissions common to conventional smelters. The technology was developed in Canada.

The plant currently employs 371 people. At full operation, Long Harbour will be capable of producing 50,000 tonnes of nickel per year, as well as copper and cobalt, and it may also receive ores from other Vale sites around the world. The first nickel production tests began in July, using nickel matte produced by Vale in Indonesia.

The ceremony was attended by Newfoundland and Labrador premier Paul Davis. He said, “Vale will produce billions of pounds of activated nickel in Long Harbour, in Newfoundland and Labrador. It will be used throughout the world in various products and industries for many decades. The production of this mineral and the creation of opportunities for the region’s inhabitants will drive our province’s economy."

Also present was Vale CEO Murilo Ferreira. “Our base metals business – of which the Long Harbour plant is an essential part – is making a major contribution to the company’s overall success. Thanks to nickel and the contributions of our operations in Canada, we will become the world’s biggest nickel producer,” he said.

Visit Vale.com/Canada to learn more about the company's operations in Newfoundland, Ontario and Manitoba.

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Mar 27 2024 - Mar 28 2024
Apr 08 2024 - Apr 09 2024
Apr 15 2024 - Apr 16 2024
Apr 16 2024 - Apr 16 2024