Growing demand for critical minerals is creating new opportunities for Canada to expand its role as a secure and responsible global supplier. New investment opportunities are available in mines, equipment, and technology expertise needed to bring them into production. Canada Nickel Company Inc. is making that investment with SMS Equipment and Komatsu for its load, haul, and mining support fleet equipment and associated autonomous technology for the Crawford Nickel Project. Crawford is the first mine to receive Impact Assessment Agency of Canada approval through the new Major Projects Office.
More than 300 machines vauling approximately $1.5 billion are expected to be purchased over the 40-year project life.
“Crawford is one of the most exciting new mining projects in Canada,” says Robin Heard, president and CEO of SMS Equipment. “Together with Komatsu, SMS Equipment looks forward to partnering with Canada Nickel to advance its vision for safe, sustainable, and low-carbon nickel production and directly contribute to meeting the world’s need for critical resources.”
Komatsu’s mining technology and hardware to be put to work on the world’s second-largest nickel reserve
Crawford is the world’s second-largest nickel resource and reserve, located approximately 40 kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario.
“I am very excited about the potential value that could be unlocked by applying Komatsu’s proven technologies at Crawford,” says Mark Selby, CEO of Canada Nickel. “We expect that SMS Equipment’s experience implementing these technologies at other Canadian operations, as well as its demonstrated commitment to our project, can substantially de-risk the project start-up and ongoing operation.”
“Komatsu is committed to partnering with SMS Equipment and Canada Nickel to develop a world-class mining operation at Crawford,” says Rod Bull, CEO, Komatsu North America. “We look forward to bringing Komatsu’s advanced mining equipment and technologies to the project to support safe, efficient and productive operations.”
SMS Equipment has been working with Canada Nickel to develop an equipment strategy designed to maximize productivity and performance of the mine through both conventional and autonomous operations. The mining solutions provider brings extensive experience supporting greenfield mine development across Canada, along with the scale and capabilities to support operations throughout their lifecycles. SMS Equipment’s recent expansion in Timmins further builds upon its ability to support major mining projects in the region.
“As we look toward construction of the Crawford Project, our focus is on successful implementation — bringing the fleet and technologies into operation, training Canada Nickel’s teams and optimizing performance so the full value of the investment can be realized over the life of the project,” says Heard.
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