Inco spending $51 million on Coleman mine

The old Coleman mine on the north rim of the Sudbury Basin, which was shut down in 1982, will get a new lease on life.

Inco Ltd. announced this week it plans to spend $51 million to access the lower part of the nickel/copper orebody there.

By deepening the existing 2,280-ft shaft to 3,100 ft, and driving two 3,000-ft ramps, the nickel giant will be able to mine the Lower Coleman at a rate of 3,000 tons per day by 1990.

That production will be needed to maintain production in the company’s Sudbury division at current levels.

In making the announcement, Inco confirms it will use state-of- the-art, all-electric mining equipment at Coleman. The company made a similar decision at the nearby Crean Hill mine where work started earlier this year.

All-electric equipment results in a quieter, cleaner and therefore safer environment in which to work.