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France
Goro (VNC) Mine

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 Location:
51 km E from Noumea, France

  Regional Office:
Malawi Building – 52 Avenue Foch – BP 218-98845
Noumea Cedex
France
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax+687-23-50-75
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StatusCare and Maintenance
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Nickel
  • Cobalt
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Solvent Extraction
  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • High Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL)
Mine Life2044
September 8, 2020 - Vale will now place the Goro mine on care and maintenance, with “the highest degree of responsibility and respect for employees, the natural environment and safety”.

Should no solution be found in the coming months, the company will prepare to shut operations down completely.
Latest NewsVale signs a binding put option agreement to formalize sale of Vale New Caledonia     December 9, 2020


Owners & OPERATOR

Source: p. 61
CompanyInterestOwnership
Societe de Participation Miniere du Sud Caledonien SAS 5 % Indirect
Vale S.A. 95 % Indirect
Vale Nouvelle-Caledonie S.A.S. (operator) 95 % Direct
Vale hold 95% of VNC’s shares and the remaining 5% is held by Société de Participation Minière du Sud Calédonien S.A.S. (“SPMSC”).

Deposit Type

  • Laterite
  • Saprolite


Summary:

The Goro plateau is one of the major areas of lateritic New Caledonia. It consists of oxidized ores of two categories:

Lateritic ore (upper profile), richer in iron oxides.

Saprolite ore (lower profile), or magnesium- silicate mineral.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Ore mining on the Goro plateau is made in a open pit mine, worked “in seats.” The first phase of the operation of the mine began in 2003 with the work of the mining exercise and pit pre-production to prepare the mine to the commercial phase.

15 meters of rock called “sterile” must be stripped before the excavators encountered layers yellow laterite and saprolite containing the analytes: nickel and cobalt.

The extracted ore is sent to the processing unit where it is prepared.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Solvent Extraction
  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • High Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL)

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

After the rejection of large rocks, earth and rock ore from the mine operation (Limonite and Saprolite) are pulped by adding water and stirring. The ore slurry is transported through pipes to the factory, located below the mine.

The pulp is then decanted to obtain, first, a slurry of ore, said thickened pulp, and, on the other hand, water, which is recycled to the mine to produce again the pulp.

The thickened pulp is then treated by addition of acid: this will have the effect of extracting metals from solid minerals and liquefy. The thickened pulp is gradually heated up to 260° at a pressure of 45 bar which prevents the water from reaching the boiling point.

It then undergoes a process of leaching, called leaching. It is injected in an autoclave at 270°C where it is brewed with sulfuric acid. Certain metals such as nickel and cobalt are dissolved, while the iron content in the pulp, for example, remains in a solid state in the form of hematite (iron oxi ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter20192018201720162015201420132012
Nickel Head Grade, % 1.541.461.471.531.411.441.361.27

Production:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Nickel kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required40342719
Cobalt t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required2,919 kt2,561 kt2,134 kt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2014:
Company is not reporting the mineral reserves of VNC as of December 31, 2019, because the mineral reserves for operations in New Caledonia would not be economically viable at the three-year historical average price, due to the decline in nickel prices in the past three years.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 55.3 Mt Nickel 1.34 %
Proven 55.3 Mt Cobalt 0.12 %
Probable 67 Mt Nickel 1.49 %
Probable 67 Mt Cobalt 0.11 %
Proven & Probable 122.3 Mt Nickel 1.42 %
Proven & Probable 122.3 Mt Cobalt 0.11 %

Financials:

Units201920182017201620152014
After-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required -1,916   -982  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2019

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
Form 20-F 2017
Form 20-F 2017
Form 20-F 2016
Form 20-F 2015
Form 20-F 2014
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Vale signs a binding put option agreement to formalize sale of Vale New Caledonia December 9, 2020
New Century pulls pin on Vale acquisition September 8, 2020
New Century progresses New Caledonia acquisition from Vale July 28, 2020
Vale departs New Caldonia as a New Century dawns May 26, 2020

Aerial view:

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