The Sudbury Star reported that as far as Mr John Rodriguez, former mayor of Sudbury is concerned, it's not a matter of why Chicago based Cliffs Natural Resources would build a smelter in Sudbury to process chromite ore from the Black Thor area of the Ring of Fire.
Sudbury is the logical place for Cliffs to build the smelter it plans to operate by 2015 with as many as 1,300 workers. Greater Sudbury has hydroelectric power, transportation, a skilled workforce, a mining culture and mining infrastructure.
Cliffs announced that it was looking at a scenario in which ore was transported from its Black Thor chromite deposit about 300 kilometers to Nakina, where it would be loaded onto CN Rail and transported to Sudbury for processing. It said it was also considering Thunder Bay and Timmins for the smelter location, but Mr Rodriguez is adamant those cities don't offer what Sudbury does.
Mr Rodriguez was mayor when he and staff at the city's economic development department contacted Cliffs executives to propose Sudbury as the best place to process chromite, used in the production of stainless steel.
The Sudbury delegation took six Cliffs executives to the old iron ore mine near Capreol, which is serviced by a spur line from the CN rail line that runs through Capreol, and toured it by land and air.
Mr Rodriguez said that "We didn't want the ore to go off west to Prince Rupert and China. It's in Northern Ontario. It should stay in Northern Ontario. Why would they? There's no mining culture there. The mining culture is Sudbury. That was the argument we made for putting it here."
He said that "First, the ore has to be brought to Nakina, which is on the main CN Rail line that runs through Capreol. Right near Capreol was Brownfield land properly zoned for such a facility. Secondly, we supply the power, we own the power in Capreol through Greater Sudbury Utilities. We've got the power, lots of power, so that was not a problem."
Mr Rodriguez said that the cost of electricity is a factor in where it will locate the smelter. Hydro rates are something that can be negotiated. He added that "There's an interest for the federal and provincial government, as well. There's an interest for us and an interest for the company. What you do is, you sit down and you talk about how we get over the hurdle. How do we accommodate each other? How do we make provisions for accommodations so this thing can happen? You're talking 1,300 jobs."
Mr Rodriguez said that the city was able to impress Cliffs officials with the many programs and facilities in Sudbury devoted to preserving and promoting aboriginal culture and language, another plus. He added that "Even though Cliffs has yet to make a final decision on the smelter location, I would make all the arguments that you can't go wrong with Sudbury. Why would you go and put it in a community that doesn't have mining? And why would you go and put it away from your infrastructure?"
The pre feasibility study for the chromite project is expected to be completed by September. If the pre feasibility report is favorable, a full feasibility study would begin immediately afterward and is expected to be completed in late 2012.
(Sourced from www.thesudburystar.com)
