The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is home to Lundin Mining’s Eagle mine, the state’s first new mine in decades.
RENO (MINEWEB) – After nearly more than a decade of exploration, permitting and construction, the first U.S. nickel mine has achieved commercial production in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a landmark event since most mines in the region were shuttered in the 1960s.
The operation is expected to yield 300 million pounds of nickel and 250 million pounds of copper over an eight-year mine life. The mine began operations on September 23, ahead of schedule and on budget
Roughly 2,000 tons of ore per day can be processed by conventional crushing, grinding and flotation to produce separate nickel and copper concentrates. Shipments of concentrates began earlier this month.
The historic Humboldt Mill, which was built by Cleveland Cliffs for the milling of iron ore in the 1950s and was used to process gold from 1985 to the 1990s by Callahan Mining Company, is being upgraded. Construction and upgrades to the mill began in 2012 and were projected to cost more than US$275 million.
The underground mine is expected to produce about 23,000 tons (20,865 metric tons) of nickel and 20,000 tons (18,143 metric tons) of copper annually.
A former Rio Tinto/Kennecott property, the high-grade nickel-copper mine was the focal point of lawsuits, protests, and lengthy regulatory permitting for a decade. In August, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community lost its 12-year legal battle to stop the construction of the mine.
Protestors had called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of what they claimed was collusion between state regulators and Rio Tinto/Kennecott officials.
County officials supported the project because of the jobs the mine will provide for people in Michigan’s Marquette County. Eagle Mines employs over 400 persons, including contractors of which 77% are locals.
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