By Rosalind Russell – Vale Base Metals is moving forward with the dismantling of the copperstack and superstack at the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.
According to the release, the structures were decommissioned following the successful completion of the approximately $1 billion Clean Atmospheric Emissions Reduction (Clean AER) Project.
Gord Gilpin, the director of Ontario Operations for Vale says the superstack and copperstack have been iconic landmarks in Greater Sudbury for decades, and while they appreciate that the city’s landscape will look different after the structures are dismantled, the business has evolved, improved over time and this process is part of that evolution.
The interior work was carried out over the last year, and now the exterior removal has begun from the top, down.
Two specialized access elevators have been attached to either side of the stack to transport workers up and down, and a two-tier platform has been installed at the summit zone.
A drilling machine is being used to break down the concrete, says Vale, with the rubble transported down the inside of the chimney.
The dismantling is expected to take three to five years to complete since there will be no work carried out in the winter months.
Photos provided by Eve Garber and used with permissions.
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