$20 million endeavor readies iconic concentrator building that once processed taconite ore for re-use in copper-nickel processing when the NorthMet Project gets the go-ahead
Hoyt Lakes, Minn., December , 2024 – NewRange Copper Nickel this week completed one of the largest salvage and recycle projects in Minnesota history, cleaning up the site of the former LTV Steel near Hoyt Lakes, creating a safer, cleaner work environment for the NorthMet copper nickel project.
In the $20 million project, launched in spring 2023, crews removed more than 30,000 tons of structural steel and scrap metal from within the nearly quarter-mile-long concentrator building, more than double the steel used to build US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. Scrap included 32 pairs of highly recyclable ball and rod mills that once processed taconite ore in the building, erected in the 1950s. An additional 66,000 tons of concrete carved from inside the iconic concentrator was crushed onsite yielding a 55,000-cubic-yard mountain of aggregate, to be returned to beneficial use.
“Skilled union workers accomplished this project on time and within budget, but what we are most proud of is the safe manner in which they performed the work,” said Tannice McCoy, NewRange president and general manager. “While demolition work of this nature carries with it a higher degree of risk, we did not have any lost time due to injury in more than 80,000 work hours of demolition and cleanup.”
In addition to demolition and asbestos abatement, the effort involved removing a 9,000-cubic-yard landfill at the plant site. “This investment reaffirms our commitment to safely and responsibly moving the NorthMet Project forward and visibly demonstrates our promise to leave the property better than we found it,” McCoy said.
Union labor representing locals from the Operating Engineers, Laborers, Electrical Workers, Ironworkers, Millwrights, Pipefitters, and Roofers performed the work – all employed by Minnesota-based contractors Veit, Vic’s Crane & Heavy Haul, Mavo Systems, Hunt Electric, Parsons Electric, and The Jamar Company.
The demolition and cleanup position the now-empty concentrator building to be re-equipped and reused for processing copper-nickel ore when NorthMet is fully permitted and sanctioned for construction.
Separately, NewRange is undergoing a series of recently announced studies to analyze whether new mining technology and sustainability developments can further enhance the project’s environmental safeguards and mining performance. Areas under study for potential improvements are: alternatives to tailings storage, processing rate, ore transport technology, and water science. Delivering a strong project, with special emphasis on protecting water quality, remains the focus. Studies are expected to extend into much of 2025.
As one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and nickel resources, NewRange could meaningfully support the United States’ global competitiveness and clean energy transition by creating a domestic supply chain of multiple critical minerals – all while limiting new environmental impacts and cleaning up former mine sites. NewRange can develop NorthMet into an environmentally sound, responsibly operated, and modern critical minerals producer in the U.S. to meet near-term demand.
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About NewRange Copper Nickel
NewRange Copper Nickel is a 50:50 joint venture of subsidiaries of Teck Resources Limited and Glencore AG, holding the NorthMet and Mesaba deposits – two large, distinct, and well-defined copper-nickel PGM resources in the established Iron Range mining region of Minnesota. The stand-alone company is working to unlock two new domestic supplies of critical minerals for the low-carbon transition through responsible mining, and delivering significant, multi-generational economic and other benefits to the region and beyond. The company is based in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota.
For more information about NewRange Copper Nickel and job opportunities, visit our website. For media inquiries, please contact:
Bruce Richardson Tel: +1 (651) 389-4111 M: +1 (651) 964-9729 [email protected]