New Caledonia Nouvelle-Calédonie - Business Advantage ...

CREDIT: SMSP
works are well advanCed at the vaouto
site in new Caledonia’s north provinCe.
KONIAmBO
CONSTRUCTION
SITE BRImmING
WITH ACTIVITY
With a budget of US$3.8 billion (around 370
billion Francs XPF) and more than 2000
employees currently working on the Vavouto
site—a figure that will increase to more than
6000 when the construction reaches its peak
in 2011—the North plant construction site in New Caledonia is
considered to be one of the biggest construction sites in the world.
A RELIABLE PROCESS FOR AN
ABUNDANT mINERAL RESOURCE
Koniambo Nickel SAS (KNS), a joint venture responsible
for the operation of the pyrometallurgical treatment plant, is
implementing economical and energy efficient nickel smelting
technology first developed by Falconbridge. It does not require the
use of autoclaves or complex circuits, which means there is reduced
technological impact.
RESPONSIBLE AND COmmITTED
PARTNERS
SMSP is a partner holding 51% of the capital in the KNS joint
venture that was created to develop the vast mineral deposit in
the Koniambo massif. Its partner, Xstrata Nickel, which holds
49% of the capital of KNS, is the subsidiary and nickel branch of
Xstrata Plc. In the initial phase of the project, SMSP contributed
the deposit at Koniambo and the advantages provided by its local
12
NICKEL mINING
The Koniambo massif remains one of the largest and richest untapped nickel deposits in the
world, and it constitutes a long-term asset for both SMSP and its partner, Xstrata Nickel.
implantation and Falconbridge (taken over in 2006 par Xstrata
Nickel) contributed the feasibility studies. Today, Xstrata Nickel
stands as guarantor for the financing and is responsible for the
techvnical and operational management of the project.
THE WORKS SCHEDULE IS RESPECTED
With more than 57% of the work achieved (as of July 2010),
the North plant is on track to be able to begin processing its first
minerals in 2012 and to then reach its annual production capacity
of 60,000 tonnes of nickel in the form of ferronickel in 2014.
At Vavouto, the development of the site facilities, the civil
engineering works and the excavations for the plant, the thermal
power plant, the installations for preparing the mineral and the
placement of the ocean outfall are underway. The dredging of the
access channel to the port, which has a total length of 5 km, is
operational and the main quay, which became operational in early
June, enables the material to be delivered that is necessary for the
construction of the power plant and the assembly of the plant
modules (the first of which arrived in early September). On the
mining side, the excavations works for the access road and for the
land conveyor which is 11.5 kms long and the preparation work for
the screening and crushing of the mineral is well advanced.