Nickel Rim South, an Xstrata project

Sudbury, Canada

The Nickel Rim South project team completed more than 5.7 million work-hours without a lost-time incident

Xstrata’s Nickel Rim South project was developed by Hatch through the Hatch–Stantec alliance. The project showcases modern mining in Canada’s nickel belt.

Nickel Rim demonstrated the extraordinary results that can be achieved through a shared commitment to safety, sustainability, thorough planning and effective construction management. Hatch and its alliance partner were responsible for the engineering management, procurement, controls, construction management (EPCM), and commissioning.

In early 2004, following a detailed feasibility study, Falconbridge — which has since been acquired by Xstrata — set out an aggressive plan to access the orebody. The new underground mine was designed for a production rate of 1.25 million tonnes per annum of nickel, copper and platinum-group ores from two zones at depths ranging from 1,200 to 1,700 metres below surface.

This was the first new technologically advanced mine to be completed within the world renowned Sudbury basin in more than 15 years. Two shafts were constructed: one for ventilation and one for production. Justification for the aggressive development of the mine was based on Xstrata’s confidence that the $925-million investment would be profitable in virtually any commodities market.

Project quality was evidenced by the sense of pride among team members and our client at handover. Quality control standards and frequent testing were defined at the outset of each work package, using quality control methodologies contributed by contractors, and quality assurance audits by the Hatch EPCM team.