On June 29, Brazilian miner Vale announced that it has restarted its No. 2 furnace at the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The furnace was put out of production after an accident occurred in February.
Damage occurred when the tapping block in the No. 2 furnace caused a leak of molten metal resulting in an explosion. The furnace has been restarted after a rebuilding process.
The furnace stoppage is estimated to have entailed an output loss of 12,200 mt of finished nickel, representing approximately four percent of total nickel production planned for 2011.