Inco has revealed that it is planning to shut down its Sudbury operations next summer for essential maintenance work.

The nickel and pgm group says that it will close the site for the whole of May 2005, losing an estimated 35,000 oz of pgms as a result.

President and chief operating officer Peter Jones told a collection of experts at Toronto's Mining Resources Analyst Group that the closure was part of a restructuring of Inco's maintenance strategy.

This year there was no stoppage as the firm moved to an 18-month cycle of repairs, meaning that 2005 will likely have a period of more intense work than when the refurbishment was conducted on an annual basis.

Earlier today Inco chief executive officer Scott Hand revealed the company would face rising energy costs in its output.

The firm says that it expects to produce around 405,000 ounces of platinum metals production this year.