Vale shuts Canada’s Voisey’s Bay mine, mulls Mozambique coal stoppage
Brazil’s Vale has announced that it will ramp down its Voisey’s Bay mining operation, in Canada, and place it on care and maintenance for four weeks in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although none of Vale’s employees has tested positive at any of its operations, the decision is aimed at protecting the health and wellbeing of the Nunatsiavut and Innu indigenous communities, the mining company said in a statement.
The remote Voisey’s Bay mine is a fly-in, fly-out operation and, therefore, has a higher exposure to travel.
“Vale will work together with the communities and authorities to ensure our operations do not act as a catalyst to inadvertently introduce the virus in these communities.”
Vale said that the Long Harbour Processing Plant (LHPP) continued to operate and nickel and cobalt production should not be affected, given the availability of stockpiled concentrates to feed the LHPP well past the four-week care-and-maintenance period, while the copper concentrate production at site will be reduced proportionally to the period of mine stoppage.
The decision would also impact on Voisey's Bay mine expansion project currently underway to transition to underground operations.
Meanwhile, Vale said that it was revisiting plans for the Mozambique coal processing plant. The halting of operations was previously expected to start in the second quarter of this year, but with travel restrictions as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, a new date was being considered. This could, ultimately, affect its coal production guidance for the year.
Vale is allowing its employees in corporate offices to work from home as a measure to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
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