Technology boosts production

Business

HYDRO mining technology applied by Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) in 2018 at its Kurumbukari mine has greatly boosted its yearly production capacity with far greater achievement, surpassing similar nickel/cobalt laterite mines in the world.
President of MCC Gao Yongxue said this on Friday during the company’s annual working conference.
Gao, speaking from Beijing, China, via video conference, said the company’s KBK mine in 2018 boosted hydro mining capacity.
It produced 15,000 tonnes of nickel, which took up 36.4 per cent of production of 41,164 tonnes as well as contributed to sustaining high capacity production during the rainy season.
Gao said the company’s operation emphasis for 2019 focuses on stabilising high-capacity production, facilitating project expansion and delivering annual operational targets.
He said the company’s 2018 production was organised in a balanced and stable manner with all economic targets met.
The Basamuk refinery’s high pressure acid leaching plant (HPAL) processing capacity kept 14 per cent higher than designed capacity, thus demonstrating MCC’s leading position in nickel laterite industry worldwide.
Gao said in 2018 the company produced 35,353 tonnes of nickel at 108 per cent nameplate capacity, when annual targets completion rate was as high as 103.97 per cent – which was 1.99 per cent year-on-year increase.
He also highlighted that 3336 tonnes of nickel was produced in June 2018 at 116.9 per cent nameplate capacity.
This was the best record any other nickel laterite industry has even seen worldwide, thus placing Ramu MCC in the top 10 ranking worldwide.
Gao said in 2018, the company achieved outstanding operation performance through management refinement and production ramp-up.
He said the project expansion memorandum-of-understanding was signed during the 2018 Apec Summit in Port Moresby last November.
Gao also told the conference of Ramu NiCo’s achievement with an award from the MCC Group of “progress prize” and the “prize for delivering annual budget”. He said MCC Group had made a decision to expand the Ramu nickel project so as to double its production capacity and cut unit production cost.
Gao said the company had finalised the feasibility study of the expansion, upgraded resources and reserve category through more exploration.
He said the company had submitted compulsory applications to and established communications with regulatory authorities in PNG and had briefed its JV partners on the expansion.