采矿与选矿

Nickel Rim South Mine

Hatch, in joint venture with MacIntosh Engineering, was awarded the engineering, procurement, project and construction management (EPCM) assignment for Nickel Rim in February 2004.

Hatch and MacIntosh also worked on the prefeasibility and feasibility studies through 2003. Falconbridge gave the authorization for its C$600-million exploration project on the northeast edge of the Sudbury basin at Nickel Rim in March 2004.

The project’s scope includes the development of surface infrastructure, a ventilation and secondary access shaft sunk to 1,685m, and a production shaft sunk to 1,750m. The project includes underground infrastructure, 11 km of lateral-mine access drifts and 105 km of diamond-drilling to prove ore-body geometry, mineral grades and tonnage.

The definition project is scheduled for completion in 2008 following the delivery of a feasibility study for a new mine. Current plans are for a 1.25-million t/yr production mine. The infrastructure is designed to accommodate ore and waste extraction rates of up to 1.3 million t/yr.

The Hatch project team ramped up to full strength with a 54-person team managing five design groups and up to 15 contractors at site simultaneously. Site preparation, services and development of electrical systems were completed in 2004, shaft sinking was completed in 2007 and lateral development and underground construction is scheduled to complete by the end of 2009.

By mid-2007 the project was running an loss time injury frequency of 0.8 (per million hours base), three weeks ahead of schedule and and a cost control index of 1.04.

Scope of Services:

Hatch and its joint venture partner are providing engineering, procurement, and construction management services for the Nickel Rim South mine project. Project Cost:

Project Cost: US$850 million (Phase 1 and 2)

Client: Xstrata Nickel

Location: Sudbury, Canada

Start: 2003 (studies)

Completion: Ongoing