Project will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale's smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70 per cent
Sudbury, Ont.—Nickel mining giant Vale has broken ground on its $2-billion Clean AER Project, an initiative touted as one of the largest single environmental investments in Ontario’s history.
The Clean AER project (AER stands for Atmospheric Emissions Reduction) will see sulphur dioxide emissions at Vale’s smelter in Sudbury reduced by 70 per cent, according to the company.
Dust and metals emissions will also be reduced 35 to 40 per cent, it was announced.
According to the company, the sulphur dioxide emissions reduction will put Vale below government regulated emission limits by 2015, with emissions of 45-kilotonnes annually compared to the regulatory limit of 66-kilotonnes.
This reduction is in addition to the 90 per cent reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions Vale has incorporated since 1970.
The project will involve a complete retrofit of the smelter converter aisle, the construction of a new secondary baghouse and wet gas cleaning plant, a second acid plant and new material handling facilities to help prevent dust from entering the community.
Vale estimates the project will require about eight-million man-hours of new labour, with 1,300 additional workers needed on-site during the peak construction period.
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.
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