Construction of the Voisey’s Bay underground mine will proceed this summer, Premier Dwight Ball announced today (Monday) in St. John’s. Eduardo Bartolomeo, executive director of Base Metals, Vale, called the underground mine the natural evolution of the project.
First ore production from the underground mine is expected no later than April 2021 and will allow the continued operation of the Long Harbour processing plant.
According to government, the underground mine will extend the operating life of Voisey’s Bay by at least 15 years and will result in close to $2 billion in capital investment by Vale. It is expected to provide 16,000 person years of employment during the five-year construction period — peaking at 4,800 in 2020.
Once operational, the mining operation will consist of 1,700 in jobs at the underground mine and Long Harbour processing plant, the province said. Ball also said the project will provide $1 billion in economic activity annually that will result in $69 million per year in provincial tax revenue.
The initial announcement that the Voisey’s Bay project would proceed occurred 16 years ago on June 11, 2002. Mining operations began in 2005 and approximately $15 billion of nickel, copper and cobalt has been recovered.
For the rest of this article: http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/construction-to-start-this-summer-on-voiseys-bay-underground-mine-217387/