CROSS-CUTS Electrical breakthrough

In April, The Northern Miner Magazine featured a story on Inco’s Crean Hill mine in Sudbury, a shut- down nickel producer transformed by modern technology into a state-of-the-art, all-electric operation. We’re happy to report that the first ore from the re-opened mine was shipped less than a month after our April issue was published. Inco says miners at Crean Hill will have a cleaner, quieter working environment because every piece of equipment used underground is electrically driven. In addition, the equipment will be computerized, self- monitoring and will automatically adjust itself or shut itself down if there is a variance from its established settings.

The changes mean improved productivity. In 1977, the last year of full production, the mine was producing 3,300 tons of ore per day with a productivity level of 8.1 tons per manshift. When the mine reaches full production in 1989, it will be capable of extracting 3,000 tons of ore per day with a productivity rating of 25.2 tons per manshift.