Our history
For 95 years, the Canadian Copper Refinery (CCR) has contributed to the vitality of Montréal-Est by processing essential metals that underpin the day-to-day functioning of our society. It is constantly evolving, drawing on the expertise of its employees to shape the future.
Historical milestones
-
1930
Plant construction begins
-
1931
First electrorefining cycle starts up in March
-
1934
First facilities for the recovery of selenium and tellurium installed
-
1938
Tankhouse expanded to achieve a refining capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes of copper per year
-
1945
Copper sulfate plant built
-
1952
New tellurium plant starts up
-
1966
Tankhouse expanded a second time to boost production capacity to 350,000 metric tonnes of copper per year, making CCR Refinery the world’s second largest copper refinery
-
1977
Nickel sulfate manufacturing begins
-
1981
New, automated anode slime washing and stacking equipment installed
-
1988
Top-blown rotary converter (TBRC) for processing anode slime commissioned
-
1991
Anode preparation machine (APM) installed
-
1996
Permanent Cathode Upgrade (PCU) project begins, a major modernization program to reduce operating costs and make the Company more competitive on the global stage
-
1999
Antimony-bismuth removal plant commissioned
-
2000
PCU project finalized, making the Company the most automated refinery of its kind in the world
-
2006
Entire process for treating higher-nickel-content anodes revised
-
2013
Glencore acquires Xstrata: CCR Refinery becomes part of one of the world’s largest diversified natural resource conglomerates
-
2018
New Furnace 8 dust removal system commissioned
-
2026
95 years of operations