Vale Base Metals safely completed the construction and commissioning of the US$2.94 billion Voisey’s Bay Mine Expansion Project in December 2024. Located in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Voisey’s Bay Mine Expansion (VBME), represents the transition of Voisey's Bay from an open-pit mine to underground mining. The project involved the development of two underground mines, Reid Brook and Eastern Deeps, that will supply concentrate for processing at the Long Harbour Operations site, one of the lowest-emission nickel processing plants in the world. In addition to the increased nickel production, the project will add 20 ktpy of copper and 2.6 ktpy of cobalt. This project highlights Vale Base Metals’ commitment to fostering social and economic development, including local employment generation, procurement, capacity building, and Indigenous partnerships.

The BC Work’s smelter in Kitimat is powered by the Kemano Powerhouse, which receives water from the Nechako Reservoir via a single tunnel that is over 60 years old. Since the completion of the second tunnel, Rio Tinto has been operating both T1 and T2 together, ensuring the long-term reliability of the power supply that energizes Rio Tinto’s BC Works smelter in Kitimat. The smelter produces aluminium with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.  

Rio Tinto estimates the project contributed approximately $850 million to the BC economy and employed approximately 340 people at its peak. Rio Tinto and all the contractors working on the Kemano T2 Project worked to maximize the involvement of local businesses and First Nations throughout the duration of the project.