RAGLAN MINE

Our mining activity

We are Québec’s largest producer of nickel, a metallic element of vital importance to our society.

We operate four underground mines that provide all the raw ore our concentrator needs. The four mines are called Kikialik (an Inuktitut word meaning, “where there is nickel”), Qakimajurq (meaning “rich”), Katinniq, and Mine 2. The ore extracted from our mines is crushed, ground and processed on site to produce a nickel concentrate. Every year, nearly 1.5 million tonnes of crude ore is processed on site, resulting in an annual production of nearly 40,000 tonnes of nickel-in-concentrate. We also produce copper, cobalt and a few precious metals in much smaller volumes.

Our production results - 2020

  • 39,230

    tonnes of nickel

  • 8,988

    tonnes of copper

  • 827

    tonnes of cobalt

From Nunavik to Norway

The nickel concentrate travels 100 kilometers by truck from our mine site to the Deception Bay seaport. It is then stored there in a dome until it begins its 2,600 km sea voyage to the Port of Quebec aboard the MV Arctic, a 27,000 metric ton icebreaker. Upon arrival at the Port of Québec, the concentrate is transferred to a train bound for the Glencore smelter in Sudbury, Ontario. It is only after this 950 km trip that the nickel concentrate from Raglan Mine is melted and cast into matte. The new product returns to Quebec City by rail and is then shipped to the Nikkelverk refinery in the Norwegian coastal town of Kristiansand, where the raw nickel is processed into high quality metals that will be sold around the world!

The Journey of Nickel

Nickel in our society

Nickel offers sustainable value and innovative solutions for today's and tomorrow's needs.

Endowed with sought-after properties, including resistance to corrosion and various temperatures, nickel is a basic element at the heart of today's modern society. It is found in many vital products and services, including surgical instruments, as well as in everyday items such as cutlery, cell phones and electric vehicle batteries.

Glencore is the 4th largest nickel producer in the world.

 

Fun facts

Because of its properties, nickel is a premium component for the batteries used in electric vehicles, whose popularity is booming. It is thus an integral part of the green shift in the energy and mobility sectors.
View more
Surgical equipment and instruments require stringent sterilisation and cleaning. Stainless steel made with nickel can withstand these sterilisation processes without becoming corroded.
View more
Never before in history have we been able to handle and process food as safely and cleanly as we can do now with food-grade stainless steel made with nickel. For example, dairy farms need stainless steel to collect, pasteurise, store and transport milk.
View more