Vale’s Voisey’s Bay is transitioning from open pit to underground mining.

Voisey's Bay Mine Expansion

Vale’s Voisey’s Bay is transitioning from open pit to underground mining.

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Located on the north coast of Labrador, about 35 km south of Nain, NL, Voisey’s Bay has been producing nickel since 2005


In July 2015, Vale’s Board of Directors sanctioned the development of the underground deposits at Voisey’s Bay, launching the Voisey’s Bay Mine Expansion Project. The project celebrated its first blast when construction recommenced in 2018. The first blast opened hundreds of new employment opportunities to drive both the construction and operations phases. The expansion has also increased economic participation for local Innu and Nunatsiavut Inuit communities.

The approximate 2-billion-dollar project will secure the future of mining in Voisey’s Bay providing access to two separate underground deposits, Reid Brook and Eastern Deeps. In June 2021, the project hit an important milestone when the first ore was mined at the Reid Brook deposit. The expansion on track to be completed in 2022.

Fast facts about the Expansion Project:

  • The project will peak at 2500 employment positions during peak construction in 2021.
  • 400 new full-time, permanent jobs will be created to sustain operations.
  • Underground mining operations will extend the life of Voisey’s Bay at least until 2035.
  • At peak production, the underground mines will produce about 40,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concentrate per year, which we will ship to Vale’s Long Harbour facility to be processed into finished nickel.


About the Construction Phase:

Construction began in 2018 and is expected to be complete by 2022
    • To develop the underground mine, we will need to:
      • Dig declines from the surface to access the ore bodies
      • Construct and install supporting infrastructure, including maintenance facilities, material handling, a paste fill system and underground mine ventilation systems
    • In addition, we will:
      • Expand our existing surface infrastructure to increase power and heat generation capacity;
      • Add permanent accommodations such as offices, warehousing space, and maintenance shops; and
      • Upgrade water and sewage treatment facilities.

Job Opportunities – Join Us!

Employee in uniform smiling

 

About 2500 project employment positions and 400 full-time operations positions are being created in Voisey’s Bay – some through our main contractor, SEM-Hatch. For immediate construction phase, we will need to hire in the following areas; project controls, site services, warehouse, procurement, health, safety, and environment, contracts management, and technical support services, such as mine technologists, geologists and mine engineers.

Our new underground mines will be highly efficient work environments with advanced technology to support each worker’s performance.

During construction, an Integrated Project Team will work closely with each contractor to ensure they meet the highest safety, environmental control, quality and productivity standards. Our Voisey’s Bay Mine is a multiple winner of the John T. Ryan Award recognizing the safest mine performance in Canada!



Apply Now!

We’re developing detailed engineering from our St. John’s office and construction is underway on-site.

Underground development is expected to begin in the second half of 2018 and peak construction will take place between 2019 and 2022.

Job opportunities at Vale

Job opportunities at SEM-Hatch

Procurement opportunities