On Friday, Vale announced that the Voisey's Bay mine expansion project, located in northern Labrador, Canada, was the first ore production milestone.
Vale is expanding its underground operations. The transfer from open pit to underground mining required the development of two underground mines - Reid Brook and Eastern Deeps. The underground mine will produce 40,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate a year, with a maximum annual output of 2.6 million tonnes.
Voith Bay is one of the largest nickel deposits in the world. Located on the northern coast of Labrador, about 35 km south of Nain, nickel has been mined by opencast since 2005.
Vale says it has worked with its indigenous partners, the Inu and Nunavut governments. About 500 Inu and Inuit people are employed at the mine.
