INCO commenced construction of the Voisey’s Bay Mine and Mill in 2003. The first blast in the open pit was in August 2005 and the first ore into the mill was in September 2005. The mine site is supplied by air and sea. The site includes an open pit, crusher, coarse ore storage, SAG and ball mills, floatation concentrator, concentrate storage, ship loading facility, tailings management area, water management ponds, service complex, accommodations complex and an airstrip.

The mill is designed to process 6,000 tonnes of ore per day during the projected 14-year life of the Ovoid deposit. Products include high grade nickel concentrate, middlings nickel concentrate and copper concentrate. Annual production is 50,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concentrate and 32,000 tonnes of copper-in-concentrate. Approximately 450 workers are employed at the site.

Figure 1: Concentrator Complex

Figure 2: Open Pit

Figure 3: Concentrate Loading at Port

Figure 4: Concentrate Storage