The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
KGHM International Ltd. has begun issuing layoffs to about 70 people who work at Podolsky Mine located north of Capreol.
A company official said Wednesday the mine will close by the end of the first quarter of 2013. The company had originally planned to close the mine by the end of 2012. She said layoffs shouldn’t come as a surprise, since KGHM International Ltd. announced in November plans to shutter the mine.
“There is nothing left to mine,” she said. KGHM International and Steelworkers Local 2020 will now meet to discuss how the layoffs should be implemented.
Quadra FNX — which merged with Polish company KGHM Polska Mied S.A. in 2012 and now operates as a subsidiary, KGHM International Ltd. — began commercial production at Podolsky Mine of copper, nickel, gold, platinum and palladium in 2008.
In November, the company said despite exploration work, it could find no reserves at Podolsky. President and CEO Paul Blythe said then the company decided to focus on its more promising projects.