Noront Resources plans to build similar facility in Northern Ontario
A delegation from Greater Sudbury that visited Finland last week came away impressed by the way the ferrochrome smelter operates in that nation, both environmentally and economically.
Mayor Brian Bigger led the delegation that returned Jan. 18 from Tornio, the Finnish community near the border with Sweden where the Outokumpu smelter is located.
The most technically-advanced chromite smelter in the world, Noront Resources plans to build a similar facility in Northern Ontario to process ore from the Ring of Fire. Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay are all in the running to become home to the smelter, expected to create as many as 400 jobs.
“During our four days in Finland, we were able to visit and tour the Outokumpu ferrochrome processing facility,” Bigger told members of city council this week.
The facility uses submerged anode closed furnace technology, the same that Noront will use in its chromite smelter.
“In fact, the furnace that we visited was opened in 2012 when the plant was doubled in size,” Bigger said. “For a heavy industrial site, it was quite clean … They explained the company’s commitment to environmental stability, their belief in a circular economy.”
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