Glencore's Onaping Depth Project in Canada Completes 2.6-Kilometre Shaft, First Nickel Ore Reached

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 27, Glencore Canada's Onaping Depth Project in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, completed its shaft sinking and made first contact with the underground nickel-copper orebody. Located within the Craig Mine property and part of Glencore's Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, the orebody lies at a depth of nearly 2,600 metres. The new shaft, developed from the bottom of the former Craig Mine, has now established a connection between the surface and the Onaping Depth orebody, providing the primary access for subsequent underground mining.

Following the completion of the shaft, the first underground stopes have been prepared, and the relevant areas are now ready to begin ore extraction. Natural Resources Canada expects first production from the Onaping Depth Zone later in 2026; Glencore will continue to advance the production ramp-up and plans to complete project construction by 2027. The Government of Ontario expects the project to reach full production in 2027, with an annual mining rate of approximately 1 million tonnes at steady-state operations.

According to Glencore's 2025 Resources and Reserves data, as of the end of 2025, Onaping Depth hosts Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources of 13.2 million tonnes at an average nickel grade of 2.28% and copper grade of 1.16%; it also hosts Inferred Mineral Resources of 3.0 million tonnes at nickel grade of 2.09% and copper grade of 0.93%. The project's Ore Reserves total 16.8 million tonnes at an average nickel grade of 1.66% and copper grade of 0.86%, with an estimated mine life of 19 years based on current reserves. In 2025, Ore Reserves increased by a net 1.7 million tonnes year-over-year, primarily driven by updated detailed stope designs.

The current Life of Mine plan published by the Government of Ontario anticipates cumulative production of approximately 280,000 tonnes of nickel and 145,000 tonnes of copper. Ore mined at Onaping Depth will be processed at Glencore's Strathcona Mill to produce nickel-copper concentrate, which will then be treated at the Sudbury Smelter. Cumulative investment in the project since construction began in 2019 is approaching C$2 billion.

The project's underground production system will employ fully electric equipment. The fleet size published by the Government of Ontario is 66 electric vehicles, covering face drilling and preparation, ore extraction, and the transport of personnel, materials, and equipment. The Government of Canada has provided Glencore with up to C$11 million through the decarbonization incentive program to support the deployment of the battery-electric underground mining fleet at Onaping Depth; the project is also equipped with remote operation and automation technologies.