Sudbury Basin – Page 42 – Republic of Mining

Sudbury’s CEMI digging deep for data – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 18, 2016)

February 18, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

If you’ve been itching to test a good idea for a data analytics business that could benefit the mining and exploration industry, the Centre for Excellence in Mining and SNOLAB want to hear from you.

Its officials have issued a worldwide request for proposals for business start-ups interested in using the Mining Observatory Data Control Centre (MODCC) to incubate their ideas.

The MODCC is a four-year, $2.4-million partnership among CEMI, SNOLAB, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. and the Canada Mining Innovation Council.

Vale freezes hiring in Sudbury – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 18, 2016)

February 18, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Vale Ltd. has implemented a hiring freeze at its Sudbury operations as the company faces the challenge of nickel prices that dipped lower than $3.50 a pound this year.

The freeze has been in effect since early January, said Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson, “but even before that, through 2015 given market challenges, we have been very selective in terms of hiring.”

The only exception to the freeze is those roles critical to run the business safely and productively, said Robson.

Low metal prices are putting the squeeze on mining companies everywhere including Sudbury.

8 companies that won’t have to meet Ontario’s new pollution limits – by Mike Crawley (CBC News Toronto – February 4, 2016)

February 4, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Strict new emission rules coming in July, and more companies seeking exemptions

The provincial government will be bringing in strict new pollution standards this summer, but some of Ontario’s biggest polluters won’t be required to meet them.

CBC News has obtained the list of all companies that currently have multi-year exemptions from limits on such pollutants as sulphur dioxide and airborne particles.

The information shows the eight companies — including Ontario’s biggest mining company, its biggest smelter and the large steel plants — will be allowed to emit far more pollution than otherwise permitted by the province’s tough new air-quality standards, due to take effect July 1.

Glencore gets Sudbury extension – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 28, 2016)

January 28, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudbury’s second largest mining company, Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, has received approval to exceed emission standards while it upgrades its Falconbridge smelter.

Glencore officials are pleased with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s recent decision to grant approval of its site-specific standard application for nickel at the smelter, said company spokeswoman Yonaniko Grenon.

“This approval allows us the required time to research, design and implement the technologies and processes required to further reduce nickel emissions from our Sudbury smelter facility while maintaining compliance with Ontario’s Air Quality Regulation,” she said.

MOE gives Glencore 10 years to meet new nickel emission limits (CBC News Sudbury – January 26, 2016)

January 26, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Laurentian University biologist says industry knew this regulation was coming 10 years ago

Another Sudbury smelter won’t have to meet stricter nickel emissions standards that are set to take effect this summer.

The Ministry of the Environment has given Glencore a 10-year extension to achieve compliance at its Sudbury smelter.

The company first took its emissions plan to the public in 2014, and MOE spokesperson Kate Jordan says the plan has been given a rigorous overview.

Vale smelter upgrades on track for 2018, Clean AER manager says (CBC News Sudbury – January 25, 2016)

January 26, 2016

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Sudbury mining giant Vale says its Clean AER project is now 55 per cent complete.

Upgrades to the smelter are required to bring the company in-line with the province’s updated air quality standards for nickel. They are expected to be finished in 2018.

Once smelter upgrades are complete, the company will greatly reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, said David Marshall, project manager of the mining company’s Clean AER project. AER stands for atmospheric emissions reduction.

NEWS RELEASE: Transition Metals Acquires Advanced Stage Ni-Cu-PGM Projects

January 26, 2016

Sudbury, January 25, 2016 – Transition Metals Corp. (XTM – TSX.V) (“TMC” or “the Company”), is pleased to announce the acquisition of all of the former exploration and development assets of First Nickel Inc. The purchase includes approximately 1,100 hectares of leased and patented mining and surface rights property and 7,591 hectares of mining claims, including projects with defined historical NI 43-101 nickel, copper and platinum group metal (PGM) resources located in the Sudbury and Timmins areas.

The properties were purchased pursuant to an asset purchase agreement between the Company and the court-appointed Receiver of First Nickel Inc. (the “Receiver”). The Receiver has obtained a vesting order from the court and confirmation of closing is expected on or about January 25, 2016.

The Company has agreed to pay consideration of $100,000 cash and 980,392 common shares of the Company at a price per share of $0.102, representing a value of $100,000 based on the 20 day trading weighted average share price.

Massive Sudbury Vale pollution reduction project half done – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 23, 2016)

January 25, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

The director of the largest environmental project ever undertaken in Sudbury wants to clear up any misconception that work on Vale’s Clear AER (atmospheric emissions reduction) project halted in 2013 when the project was revamped.

The Brazil-based mining company scaled back what was to be a $2-billion retrofit of the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex after the decision was made to operate one furnace instead of two.

Dave Marshall told an audience this week that the project is 55 per cent complete, $625 million has been invested in it so far and it is on target for completion by January 2018.

Sudbury PoV: City’s politicians must work together – by Don MacDonald (Sudbury Star – January 13, 2016)

January 14, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Don MacDonald is the editor of the Sudbury Star.

The thing about commodity prices is you can never be sure when they are going to drop and, when they do, how long it will take for them to recover.

Nationally, Canadians are seeing the effect of low oil prices on the Alberta and Canadian economies: thousands of jobs lost, alarming drops in capital spending, a decline in the value of the loonie and the inflation that causes, and billions in government revenues gone.

Sudbury is experiencing something similar as the prices of nickel, copper and other metals fall. This time last year, nickel was selling for close to $7 a pound U.S. Today, it’s selling for less than $3.80. Experts had predicted nickel would recover by the end of 2015, but that never happened.

Sudbury’s economy in bad ‘cycle’ – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – January 13, 2016)

January 13, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Sudbury lags behind many other centres in job retention and creation, judging by a recent analysis of labour markets in Canada.

In fact, the City of Lakes is rock bottom among 33 cities ranked by BMO Capital Markets in a monthly report card issued Jan. 8.

Topping the list is Guelph, a city of comparable size to Sudbury but one whose economy is apparently humming along at a significantly better clip.

The southwestern Ontario city boasts “robust job growth, population inflows, a puny 4.2 per cent jobless rate and the highest share of the population that is working,” the report says.

[Sudbury mining] Quakes occurred near Creighton – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 12, 2016)

January 12, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Two seismic events that occurred before 6 p.m. Sunday in Sudbury have been reclassified from slight earthquakes to rock bursts, and their location has changed from east of the city to three kilometres northwest of Lively.

Vale recorded two seismic events 500 and 800 feet north of Creighton Mine, which were felt in the community about 5:40 p.m. The first event occurred about 7,680 feet underground and the second at 7,400 feet underground, said Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson.

The 7,680-foot level event registered a magnitude of 3.1Mn and the second event registered a magnitude of 3.3Mn, according to Creighton’s ground control system.

All workers at Creighton were brought to surface as a precaution and no one was injured, said Robson. Operations resumed at the mine Monday and there didn’t seem to be any significant damage the operation, she said.

Turning Sudbury’s regreening expertise into actual green – by Ella Myers (Northern Ontario Business – January 08, 2016)

January 11, 2016

http://www.northernlife.ca/

Protocol under development aims to turn local environmental knowledge into marketable product

Sudbury’s environmental destruction and subsequent reclamation is one of the city’s defining moments. From a blackened, barren nickel capital to a beacon of regreening and responsible mining around the world, Sudbury has come a long way since the 1970s.

A major project is germinating between the mayor’s office and Laurentian University that would capitalize on the expertise built from the recovery process.

Laurentian’s vice-president of research, Rui Wang, had introduced the Sudbury Protocol at the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation’s (GSDC) first Resourceful City talk in November.

KGHM seeks global status amid commodities downturn – by Henry Foy (Financial Times – December 30, 2015)

January 4, 2016

http://www.ft.com/

Lubin – A kilometre below the rolling countryside of south-west Poland, scores of men labour in hot, cramped tunnels mining copper that has made KGHM Europe’s second-largest producer of the red metal.

Yet the future of the Polish miner lies halfway around the world, in the rocky hills of Ontario, Canada, and the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.

There, the success of two big investments will determine whether KGHM becomes Poland’s first truly global company, or an overambitious regional player that failed to achieve international status.

The state-controlled group has already spent more than $7bn on acquiring and developing the Canadian and Chilean mines, assets that give it control of the world’s fourth-largest copper deposits.

Sudbury’s way to the future – by Dick DeStefano (Sudbury Star – December 31, 2015)

January 4, 2016

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

I am a big fan of insightful and comprehensive community economic plans for Greater Sudbury, having chaired and participated in at least four such plans since 1970 that have fundamentally changed the direction of our community in preparing for the future.

The Greater Sudbury Development Corporation has recently designed a strategic plan (From the Ground Up 2015-2025) that could change the face of the community for the next 10 years if all sectors actively participate and contribute their energy and insights into implementing and supporting the efforts which this plan imagines and recommends.

The problem lies in the fact that very few people have read or even reviewed this important piece even though the plan, during the consultation stages, was led by a broad based 24-member steering committee. This document must be circulated and endorsed by the general public to be successful.