Vale has informed that Totten Mine has safely resumed operations and is ramping up production, following the safe extraction of a scoop bucket and shaft repairs.
Production at Totten Mine was halted in 2021 after a scoop bucket became lodged in the main shaft. 39 workers underground at the time were safely returned to surface via secondary egress. All of them are back to work, along with Totten Mine employees deployed to other locations during the disruption.
Vale praises the diligent work by the specialists since September, who safely extracted the scoop and made the necessary repairs to the shaft.
“We’re committed to delivering the full potential of our North Atlantic operations. The restart of Totten demonstrates our unwavering commitment to achieve a benchmark of safety and reliability levels across all our sites,” said Deshnee Naidoo, Executive Vice President of Vale’s Base Metals business.
The interruption at Totten mine was already considered in the company's planning and, therefore, caused no impact to the nickel production guidance of 175 000 – 190 000 t for 2022.