Small footprint, massive exploration at Nickel Rim.Falconbridge's Nickel Rim South project is abuzz with activity as $79 million is being spent on the sinking of two shafts and the erection of a headframe. Approximately 500 metres away from the rich copper and precious mineral deposit, engineers, technicians and tradespeople trades·peo·ple pl.n. 1. People engaged in retail trade. 2. Skilled workers. Noun 1. tradespeople - people engaged in trade are hard at work sinking the ventilation and main shaft to 1,607 and 1,750 m respectively. Usually the crew manages to sink an average of three metres per day. At that rate, Falconbridge expects it will take two years to complete the installation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diamond drilling Diamond Drilling is a highly specialized industry used for mineral exploration around the world. Most commonly using wireline and core bits with diamond encrusted matrix. To drill holes to max depths of twelve thousand feet, for the recovery of core used in verifying mineral is to commence in May 2006 and continue until Dec. 2008 encompassing 86 linear kilometres of the 13.4-million-tonne ore body. This is expected to firm up a large portion of the inferred resources with gradings of 1.8 percent nickel, 3.3 percent copper, 1.8 grams per tonne of platinum, 2 grams per tonne of palladium, 0.08 grams per tonne of gold and 14.8 grams per tonne of silver. Falconbridge is considering its metallurgical options. The Sudbury processing facilities are capable of producing 130,000 tonnes of nickel-copper matte annually. "It is just a matter of optimizing what we have already to maximize our recovery of precious metals Precious Metals Valuable metals such as gold, iridium, palladium, platinum, and silver. Notes: Investing in precious metals can be done either by purchasing the physical asset, or by purchasing futures contracts for the particular metal. , so we have an extensive test program underway," Tracey Jeffs-Schonewille, area leader, metallurgy metallurgy (mĕt`əlûr'jē), science and technology of metals and their alloys. Modern metallurgical research is concerned with the preparation of radioactive metals, with obtaining metals economically from low-grade ores, with and environment for Nickel Rim says. Nickel Rim could be one of the most expensive exploration programs going. Having done extensive surface exploration, the company encountered a sizable ore body 1,100 to 1,800m deep on property located three km north of the Greater Sudbury Greater Sudbury (2006 census population 157,857) is a city in Northern Ontario, Canada. Greater Sudbury was created in 2001 by amalgamating the cities and towns of the former Regional Municipality of Sudbury, along with several previously unincorporated geographic townships. Airport. Realizing it would cost them just as much to explore it from surface as it would developing mine infrastructure, then explore it, executives chose the latter. Once the assay results are revealed from the diamond drilling, Falconbridge will be in a better position to decide whether to spend the rest of the $600 million on the project. "Our mine plan is in a state of flux Noun 1. state of flux - a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) preceding the establishment of a new direction of action; "the flux following the death of the emperor" flux until we finish drilling off this resource. The best economic case for us was to ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale quickly into production and confirm what we expect." If the mine development receives a green light, production is expected to ramp up in 2010. "We would achieve full production by 2011." If, on the off chance the ore body is not as plentiful as once thought, the company is confident it can at least recoup their investment from the minerals and transfer the hoists and heavy equipment to areas where minerals are abundant. Falconbridge has research and exploration projects around the site as well as the Sudbury Basin The Sudbury Basin, also known as Sudbury Structure, is the second largest known impact crater or astrobleme on Earth, and a major geologic structure in Ontario, Canada. The basin is located on the Canadian Shield in the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. . The site is six hectares, smaller than Greater Sudbury's Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box property. Another strategy was to pave the entire site to prevent precipitation from being absorbed into the natural environment without being treated first. Culverts and gully ways capture the water then pump it over to the smelter 17 km away where it is treated then released. "We have a lot of pipes in the ground. There is no direct discharge of water into the receiving environment," she says. A closure plan has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to address long-term environmental and safety issues should the project not proceed into production. A $1.67-million budget was set aside as financial assurance for remediation measures found in the closure plan. Falconbridge has been mining nickel-copper ore in Sudbury since 1928. Today, the operations employ approximately 1,500 people with smelter, mill and mining facilities. www.falconbridge.com By KELLY LOUISEIZE Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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