Cliff's decision could come soon

By RITA POLIAKOV, THE SUDBURY STAR

Updated 1 hour ago

Cliffs Natural Resources may decide where to put its $1.8-billion ferrochrome processing facility by early spring, Mayor Marianne Matichuk said at a Rotary Club gathering on Monday.

"They are looking at investing. They haven't made their final decision. We're doing what we can," said Matichuk, referring to meetings between city officials and the mining company this past fall.

While Cliffs is looking at several Northern Ontario locations, the Moose Mountain Mine Site, about 20 kilometres from Capreol, was used as its base case for the Chromite Project.

The ferrochrome facility will handle chromite ore from the company's Black Thor deposit in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire area of northwestern Ontario.

The plant would create as many as 500 jobs.

While little information was released about the city's meeting with Cliffs, Matichuk said Monday the company may make its decision soon.

"We've been told early spring, but that's up to the company," she said.

Last week, when contacted by The Star, a company official said Cliffs has no news on when a decision was going to be made.

The Moose Mountain Mine site, the home of a former iron ore mine, has several advantages, including railway infrastructure and mining expertise. Greater Sudbury can also handle the ferrochrome facility's energy usage, which would go up to about 300 megawatts.

The only issue hounding the city is Ontario's high hydro rates, which was called a "seminal point" by Cliffs staff at a Capreol open house.

At the open house, Matichuk said that the city is trying to work with the province to "see what we can do."