Vale SA will raise output at its Clydach nickel refinery in Wales to full capacity by 7 May 2010, taking semi-processed metal from a Canadian facility that has been hit by a labour strike. Clydach is already operating at better than 90% of capacity and will raise production to 7.9 million pounds of nickel a month. On 12 March, Vale said that the refinery was operating at a rate of 2.5 million pounds a month. The plant is taking semi-processed nickel matte from Vale’s Sudbury operations in Ontario. Sudbury workers walked out on 13 July after contract talks with the company broke down, leading to the longest strike in Vale’s 67 year history. In early October, Rio de Janeiro-based Vale restarted the plant’s Clarabelle mill with non-striking workers to produce copper concentrates. The Sudbury smelter has operated at 50% capacity since January.