St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nov. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Institution of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) branch has awarded Vale the designation of “Miner of the Year”. The award was announced at the annual Mineral Resources Review today.
Vale’s Voisey’s Bay Mine has been working on the simultaneous development of two underground mines, while continuing operations of mining from the Ovoid. The mine expansion in Voisey’s Bay will extend the life of mine until at least 2035 and provides for continuity of operations at the Long Harbour Processing Plant.
June 2021 saw the site achieve the milestone of safely delivering first ore from the Reid Brook Mine while continuing to develop access, levels, and infrastructure at both mines. Production from Eastern Deeps is expected in 2022.
This award also recognizes that the Voisey’s Bay Mine Expansion (VBME) project team have had zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI) on the project since it started. The VBME project is currently over 8.5 million hours on the project without an LTI, which is an industry benchmark for underground mine development.
Mark Travers, Executive Vice President for Vale’s Base Metals stated, “Our Newfoundland and Labrador operations continue to be a leader in our Base Metals organization. The safety achievement reached by our VBME project team to date, and our operations team being awarded the John T. Ryan Award for Safety for seven consecutive years, shows the commitment to safety by all personnel working there. We’re extremely proud to have our team recognized by the NL branch of the CIM and being named Miner of the Year”.
Additionally, Vale is awarded the 2021 Miner of the Year for its health and safety contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March of 2020, Vale made the decision to place the Voisey’s Bay site on Care and Maintenance, putting both its production and project on hold for four months in an effort to protect the local workforce and nearby Aboriginal partner communities.
“The success in delivering first ore from Reid Brook and the simultaneous construction of two underground mines, as well as the handling of the pandemic is a testament to the unique relationships between the local communities, employees, operations, and our commitment to safety,” said Travers.
-30-
