Three Billionth Pound at Fort Saskatchewan Refinery
Early in 2019, Sherritt announced that its refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, reached three billion pounds of finished nickel production since operations first began in 1954, without labour disruptions.
“As one of Canada’s oldest mining companies with a history of production over 65 years, we are proud of this important milestone,” said David Pathe, President and CEO of Sherritt International. “It serves as a testament to the refinery’s dependability over the past 65 years, and the ability of our employees to adapt to changes in the industry and introduce innovations that have enabled Sherritt to maintain our leadership position as a producer of low-cost, high-quality nickel.”
The Fort Saskatchewan refinery (COREFCO) was constructed in 1954 and initially processed feed from Sherritt’s Lynn Lake mine in Manitoba. Today, the COREFCO refinery processes mixed sulphides produced through the Moa Nickel Site, which was created in 1994 and in which Sherritt maintains a 50% partnership interest, to produce Class 1 nickel in briquette and powder forms. Class 1 nickel is the purest form of nickel and is particularly suited for applications that require high-purity levels, such as electric vehicle batteries.
In 2019, the COREFCO refinery produced 33,108 tonnes of finished nickel (100% basis) and produced 3,376 tonnes of finished cobalt (100% basis) as a by-product. Finished nickel and cobalt produced at the COREFCO refinery are sold to international customers, primarily in Europe, Japan and China, for use in stainless steel applications, specialty alloys and assorted battery types.