The Raglan property is located in the Nunavik territory of northern Québec. The operation, which is part of our Integrated Nickel Operations (INO), consists of open pits, underground mines, a concentrator, a power plant, accommodation and administration buildings, fresh water supply and fuel storage tanks. The mine site is linked by all-weather roads to an airstrip at Donaldson and to the concentrate, storage and ship-loading facilities at Deception Bay.

The property stretches 55 kilometres from east to west, with a series of many high-grade ore deposits scattered along its length. Nickel and copper are the primary metals but we also produce significant quantities of palladium and platinum as well as cobalt.

Location Map
Property Map

Geology
The Raglan property lies in the eastern part of the Cape Smith fold belt, which strikes in an east-west direction across the Ungava Peninsula.

Detailed Geology

Operations
Mining
Approximately 90% of the mining at Raglan comes from underground sources, with the remainder coming from an open pit. There are three underground mines and one open pit.

Milling
The ore from the Raglan mines is crushed, ground and treated at the Raglan mill to produce a nickel-copper concentrate. Milling capacity is 3,000 tonnes per day. Nickel capacity at the concentrator now stands at 26,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concentrate per year.

The concentrate is trucked 100 kilometres to Deception Bay and then shipped to Québec City – with an expected shipping season of at least eight months of the year, and a minimum of six shipments per year. From there, it is sent by rail to the smelter in Sudbury. The smelted matte material is returned by rail to Québec City, then shipped overseas to Falconbridge's Norwegian refinery for refining into pure metals.

• 26,552 tonnes nickel-in-concentrate
• 6,867 tonnes copper-in-concentrate
• 404 tonnes cobalt-in-concentrate

Flowsheets
Raglan Metallurgical

• Proven: 6.27 million tonnes grading 2.63% nickel and 0.74% copper
• Probable: 9.38 million tonnes grading 2.95% nickel and 0.81% copper

• Measured: 55,000 tonnes grading 3.93% nickel and 1.11% copper
• Indicated: 3.71 million tonnes grading 2.19% nickel and 0.73% copper
• Inferred: 5.2 million tonnes grading 2.90% nickel and 0.80% copper

History
Falconbridge and the Makivik Corporation – which oversees the political, social and economic development of the Nunavik territory – signed an agreement in 1995 that includes profit-sharing and guaranteed contributions to the Inuit of Nunavik. In particular, those people living in the villages of Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq will benefit fully from the project's economic spin-offs, with guaranteed contributions and operational profit-sharing payments over an 18-year period made into a trust fund.

The Raglan Committee serves as the formal forum between Raglan and the Inuit. Three of the six members are local Inuit. The committee follows up on environmental matters and works to solve any potential problems that might arise.