Canada’s Lundin Mining is entering the ramp-up phase at its new Eagle nickel and copper mine located in in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It began production in late September. Eagle is projected to have a relatively brief eight-year life and the Toronto-based company is preparing for peak production from 2015-2017.
Production “will start going down after that,” said Dan Blondeau, the companys spokesman. Capital costs to develop Eagle were below $400 million, less than Lundin’s estimates. The mine in Marquette County is 28 miles northwest of the city of Marquette and about 12 miles from Lake Superior.
The company said Eagle’s high-grade nickel concentrate grade is estimated at 11-14 percent while copper concentrate is pegged at 31 percent. Concentrates will be railed directly to either Canadian smelters or to ports on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the company said. A rail spur was built connecting the mill site to the Canadian National Railway. Lundin acquired Eagle last year from Rio Tinto, the mine’s original developer, for about $325 million.