CVRD Inco announced Dec. 14 that a $52 million investment in new copper separation technology at its Clarabelle Mill is now operational.
"This $52 million investment in copper separation at the Clarabelle Mill is a significant milestone. It is the beginning of further developments at our Sudbury operations," said CVRD Inco vice president of mines and mill Michael Winship.
As part of the copper separation circuit, ore is milled and placed in one of nine flotation cells toseparate the copper from nickel. The cells skim off 30 percent of the copper concentrate thatpreviously remained in the bulk copper-nickel concentrate sent to the smelter. With 30 percent of the copper treated under a different process, this frees up more room at the smelter for processing nickel.
Winship continues," My vision includes the construction of a new headframes on the horizon in the next decade and the corporation is looking forward to another hundred years of production.
"In fact, we are embarking on potentially the largest period of growth in Sudbury in more than 30 years," said Winship.
Mayor of Greater Sudbury, John Rodriguez said, "This innovative plant heralds a new relationship between CVRD Inco and the community. The new owners are showing their commitment to Sudbury with this $52 million investment. I hope to see a lot more of this type of investment."
