Falconbridge Ltd. - History

History

In 1928, experienced prospector and businessman Thayer Lindsley purchased mining claims containing rich deposits of nickel-copper ore in the area northeast of Sudbury. These claims had been established as early as 1901, when Thomas Edison made the original discovery of the Falconbridge ore body, but remained undeveloped until Lindsley's purchase. Soon thereafter, planning and construction of a company town began, to house and service workers for the future mines. The community, complete with utilities and a medical centre, was named Falconbridge after the geographic township in which it was located. Likewise, the company became known as Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited.

Just one year later in 1929, the new company acquired the Kristiansand Nikkelraffineringsverk A/S refinery in Kristiansand, Norway. This expanded its operations, but more importantly the company also gained the rights to the Hybinette nickel refining process.

The operations at the Falconbridge site expanded in the early 1930s. By 1930 ore from an underground mine was being extracted at 250 tonnes per day, and a nearby smelter was in operation to process the material. In 1932, a mill and sintering facility began operation.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, significant expansion of the Sudbury Basin operations took place, including some twelve new mines. All recovered nickel, copper, and smaller amounts of other materials including platinides. Meanwhile, the Nikkelverk operation began recovering cobalt alongside previous extractions in 1952, using a new refining process. In 1962, Falconbridge acquired Ventures Limited, including its numerous international operations and geological exploration infrastructure, allowing further expansion and growth outside of Canada.

In 1971 the Falconbridge Dominicana (Falcondo) mine and process plant commenced operation in Bonao, Dominican Republic. The site employed a novel reduction and smelting technique superior to the kiln process. To aid in community development, the Falcondo Foundation was established in 1989 and has been a pioneer in Natural Resource Corporate Social Responsibility.

In 1977, Falconbridge patented the chlorine leach nickel refining process that had been developed in-house.

The late 1970s saw the company play a role, alongside Inco, in the environmental reclamation efforts undertaken in the Sudbury region. As part of this, a new, more efficient smelter was opened, as well as a facility for the production of sulfuric acid. This commercially saleable chemical had been a source of significant ecological damage when it was produced in the atmosphere by the reaction of sulfur dioxide emissions. The new acid plant allowed this effect to be greatly reduced by catalyzing the reaction before emission, while producing additional revenue from the sale of the acid.

By 1984, the commercial reserves at the original Falconbridge Mine had been exhausted. Production continued at several other sites in the Sudbury area. The company expanded within northern Ontario by acquiring the Kidd Mine in Timmins, Ontario. Expansion continued in the 1990s, with a new mine in Sudbury, and one at Raglan in northern Quebec, though Falconbridge lost the bidding war with Inco for the deposit at Voisey's Bay. The new century saw more acquisitions, including the Montcalm mine in Timmins, the Kabanga project in Tanzania, and the Lomas Bayas mine in Chile.

In June 2005 Falconbridge merged with Noranda, previously the 58.4% owner, continuing under the name Falconbridge Limited. Noranda brought significant variety to the business, including operations in aluminum mining and recycling of electronic hardware.