The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
Vale Ltd. won’t need approval from the Ministry of the Environment to tear down the Superstack if the company chooses to do so.
But it will require ministry approvals for any replacement smokestack it intends to build. Kelly Strong, vice-president of Vale’s Canada and UK operations, told a business group this week that the Brazil-based mining company is conducting an analysis to determine if it should replace the 1,250-foot chimney.
Company officials will likely decide by the end of the year what to do with the structure, which was built in 1972 at a cost of about $25 million.
Speaking to reporters after a presentation to the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, Strong said he realized any talk of disposing of the structure was going to stimulate conversation in the community.
Very little sulphur dioxide is travelling up the Superstack, said Strong, so it doesn’t make sense to use it any longer. Vale is completing the $1-billion Clean AER (Atmospheric Emission Reduction) Project that will cut current S02 emissions by 85%.
Kate Jordan, spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment, said Vale wouldn’t need ministry approval to remove the stack.
Given that the Superstack is close to residential areas, the company would have to have discussions with the ministry about dust management before any removal work could be done, said Jordan.
All waste from the demolition of the stack could be managed and properly disposed of at Vale’s waste disposal site, she said.
The Superstack is made of about 39,006 tons of concrete. It is about 35 metres or 115 feet wide at the base and 16 metres or 52 feet wide at the top.
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