Vale Base Metals – Ontario Operations?
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Vale Base Metals is one of the world's largest producers of responsibly sourced nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals. In Canada, the U.K., Brazil, Japan and Indonesia, we produce critical minerals that power electric vehicles, create renewable energy solutions and help develop life-saving medical equipment.
Ontario is home to Vale’s global Base Metal Headquarters (Toronto), our Technology Development Centre in Mississauga, as well as our Port Colborne and Sudbury Operations. With Sudbury’s five mines, mill, smelter and refinery as well as a Port Colborne’s cobalt refinery, Vale’s Ontario operations are among the world’s largest integrated mining complexes. We produce low carbon nickel, copper and cobalt, in addition to platinum group metals, gold and silver.
Vale Base Metal's Sudbury Operations - Emissions Reduction Program (ERP)
The Copper Cliff Smelter facility has been in existence for over a century, during which time has undergone numerous transformations and upgrades. The Smelter produces nickel and copper sulphide and nickel oxide, with sulphuric acid as a by-product. These products are shipped to Vale refineries or to market.
A Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (VERP) was initiated for the Smelter in 1971, becoming mandatory in 1983 through another sulphur dioxide (SO₂) Control order, and was referred to in that Control order as the Comprehensive Supplementary Control system. At that time, the company program name was shortened to “Emission Reduction Program" (ERP). The SO₂ Control order issued to the company was to limit sulphur dioxide emissions to the atmosphere from the Superstack, Copper Stack and Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery Stack by curtailing production at the Smelter and CCNR on days when dispersion conditions were such that undesirable ground level concentrations (GLCs) of SO₂ were anticipated or experienced in the communities.
With requirements to reduce SO₂ emissions, Vale implemented several process changes over the years. Most recently, Vale completed the Clean AER project which focused on Smelter Converter offgas capture, sending the offgas SO₂ emissions from the converters to a new Wet Gas Cleaning Plant before being transformed in the Acid plant to become sulphuric acid. With over a 10-fold reduction in SO₂ emissions, the requirement for larger stacks was no longer needed and two new 450-feet stacks for the Flash Furnace bypass, Fluid Bed Roaster bypass, Fluid Bed Dryer, and the Secondary Baghouse, were constructed. Both the Copper Stack and the Superstack were disconnected in 2020, from the Smelter processes, and deemed obsolete.
Vale's Emission Reduction Program (ERP) has been adapted through the years and post AER, no curtailing of production at the Copper Cliff Smelter is required, as the Smelter is no longer considered a significant source of SO₂, with >90% of emissions actively captured through primary and secondary abatement equipment. Limited curtailment of SO₂ emissions from the Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery is still implemented. Both, the Copper Cliff Smelter Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) and the Nickel Refinery ECA, currently require that information regarding dispersion potential and steps taken to address impact be shared with a wider audience, and as such, some pertinent information has been included in the sections below.
SO₂ Monitoring Network
Vale and Sudbury INO (Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations - Glencore) jointly own and manage a network of 18 continuous SO₂ monitoring stations located in the community. The network is operated and maintained by a third party, BESTESCH, under contract. Please follow link to access data:
SO₂ Emission Dispersion Forecast
Wind Conditions (real-time) from the Frood Meteorological Tower.
| Surface winds (10m Above Ground Level) | Wind direction (blowing from) |
Wind speed (km/hr) | ||
| Upper air winds (114m Above Ground Level) | Wind direction (blowing from) |
Wind speed (km/hr) |
Predicted production curtailment at the Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery due to dispersion condition (updated daily at 8:30am, refresh to view latest results).
| Date | Dispersion Conditions | Planned Emission Reduction (at the Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery) to Control Ground Level SO₂ Concentrations (GLCs) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Light | Moderate | Severe | ||
Mobile SO₂ GLC Results
Vale’s Emission Reduction Program (ERP) has been adapted post AER, and active, routine mobile monitoring of SO₂ emissions in the community is no longer conducted. The mobile unit is available to respond to community complaints if and when needed, but no routine measurements are being conducted.
Air Quality Index
View Air Quality Index information – Return to Main Page
Limitations
The real-time data presented on this site has not yet undergone validation. The data should be considered “unverified” and should not be used in published documents. The data may contain errors related to instrument malfunctions, telemetry connectivity, QA/QC requirements, instrument calibration times or power outages, and is subject to change once validated. Validated historical data, as reported quarterly to the MECP, is available upon request.
The information presented on this website is intended for public awareness, education and information purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical or health care advice and should not be relied upon for such purposes. BESTECH, Vale and Glencore are not health care professionals. If you are feeling unwell, please contact a qualified healthcare professional for guidance.
The information presented on this website is not meant for emergency response purposes. This website does not replace or supplement Vale and Glencore’s existing emergency notification and response protocols.
