SUDBURY - Vale Base Metals said it will build a monument to its famed superstack, following feedback from the Sudbury community.
In an Oct. 25 social media post, the Brazilian nickel miner said that was the preferred option that emerged after thousands of community members voted on three potential options to pay tribute to the decommissioned stack.
“The Sudbury community has spoken, and the iconic Vale Base Metals superstack will be commemorated with a monument in its honour,” the company said in its post.
“Votes were submitted online and in-person at our Sudbury open house at Dynamic Earth on Sept. 25. Over 5,000 votes were cast, and the monument proposal emerged as the clear winner!”
Other options suggested by Vale were a mural to be located within the city or a digital commemorative archive, with a charity coffee table book.
The nickel miner said it would now work on the next stage of the project, “with a commitment to honouring the superstack's historical significance to the community in a unique and creative way.”
The superstack and the smaller copperstack at Vale's Copper Cliff Smelter Complex were decommissioned in 2020 after the company completed its $1-billion Clear Atmospheric Reduction project in 2018.
The multi-year project enabled the operation to reduce its sulfur dioxide emissions down to 30 per cent below the provincial standard and eliminated the need for the smokestacks.
Work is now underway to remove the redundant infrastructure.
Vale has said the copperstack will be dismantled first, which should be completed by 2025.
Work will then begin on the superstack, and that's estimated to be done by 2029.
