Glencore hits shaft milestone at all-electric Sudbury mine — SkimNews
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- Glencore welcomed Ontario Premier Doug Ford alongside political, Indigenous, industry and community leaders to mark a key shaft development milestone at the Onaping Depth project at Craig Mine in Sudbury, accessing a new nickel-copper orebody for the first time.
- Onaping Depth runs a 23-machine fleet of battery-electric Epiroc equipment covering the full mining cycle, including 42-tonne Minetruck MT42 Battery haul trucks, Scooptram ST14 SG loaders, Boomer E2 Battery development drills, Boltec rock-reinforcement machines, Cabletec cable bolters, and Simba long-hole production drills.
- Glencore Canada COO Peter Xavier said eliminating diesel cuts ventilation and cooling requirements — historically among the largest energy demands in underground mining — supporting both Glencore's sustainability objectives and Canada's net-zero ambitions.
- The $2 billion Onaping Depth project will support more than 400 permanent jobs once fully operational and extend nickel production in the Sudbury Basin beyond 2040.
Why it matters: A $2 billion capital commitment locks in 400-plus permanent jobs and stretches Sudbury Basin nickel output past 2040, while a 23-machine battery-electric fleet removes diesel from the underground mining cycle — directly cutting two of the largest energy loads (ventilation and cooling) that Xavier flagged.
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