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Indonesia
Sorowako Mine

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 Location:
355 km NE from Makassar, Indonesia

  Regional Office:
Jl.Somba Opu 281
Makassar
Indonesia
90113
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax+62-411-3669-020
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Nickel
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Calcining
  • Granulation
  • Smelting
  • Dry Screening
  • Rotary kiln & Electric furnace
Mine Life2045


Owners

Source: p. 75
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sumitomo Corp. 0.14 % Indirect
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd 15.03 % Indirect
PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Persero) 20 % Indirect
Vale S.A. 44.34 % Indirect
Vale indirectly hold 44.34% of PTVI (Sumitomo Metal Mining (“Sumitomo”) holds 15.03%, PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Persero) (“Inalum”) holds 20%, Sumitomo Corporation holds 0.14% and the public holds 20.49%).

Deposit Type

  • Laterite
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork


Summary:

Nickel laterite deposits in the Sorowako and Petea area are generally classified into two main types, West Block and East Block types, depending upon the nature of bedrock, the level of serpentinisation, ease of mining, size of boulders, degree of fracturing of the bedrock, optimum screen fraction that carries nickel grades, and the silica-to-magnesia ratios in the mineralisation.

West Block type deposits
These deposits are developed over a relatively unserpentinised peridotite bedrock; commercially mineable grades are confined to the -1" fines fraction; and silica to magnesia ratios are high (2.2 to 2.6 range).

West Block type deposits are categorized into Types 1, 2 and 3, depending on the degree of fracturing in the bedrock and the size of the resulting boulders. Type 1 deposits are the most difficult to mine due to weak fracturing of the bedrock and the resulting large size of the boulders. Type 2 and Type 3 deposits are successively easier to mine and are formed over more fractured bedrock resulting in boulders within the mineralisation profile that mining equipment can handle.

Optimum nickel grades in all West Block type deposits are confined to -1" screen fraction. Oversize is generally barren or very low grade. Exceptions exist in breccia mineralisation where siliceous garnierite carries respectable grades in the +1" fraction.

East Block type and Petea deposits.
These deposits are developed over bedrock that is much more serpentinised and characterized by generally low silica to magnesia ratios. They are further categorized into three types based on upgrading characteristics of the mineralisation as follows:

18" mineralisation type in which all fractions up to 18" size are mineralisation grading. This is also referred to as "Pure East Type mineralisation".

6" mineralisation type in which only material less than 6" in size is mineralisation grading; oversize rock is low grade and needs to be rejected.

1" mineralisation type in which only -1" material is mineralisation grading and all oversized material is waste. This mineralisation type is further divided into two types depending on the olivine content of the +1-6" size fraction:

Low-olivine -1" mineralisation type in which the olivine content of the +1-6" rock is generally less than 22%. This mineralisation type can be screened at 1" size for maximum nickel upgrading, or screened at 6" size for maximum mineralisation recovery. In either case olivine content is acceptable for the electric furnaces.

High-olivine -1" mineralisation type in which the olivine content of the +1-6" fraction is generally more than 22%. This mineralisation type must be screened at 1" size to ensure that excessive olivine does not enter the electric furnaces.

East Block 6"/18" mineralisation type form an arcuate zone extending from Sumasang in the north to Lamangka South and Fiona-Farah in the south-east. East of this zone, and up to the shore of Lake Matano, the area is underlain largely by -1" high-olivine mineralisation type. East Block -1" low-olivine mineralisation type only forms irregular patches within the 6"/18" mineralisation type and the -1" high-olivine mineralisation type.

In the Mahalona North area, the 6"/18" mineralisation type has numerous small raisin-like zones of the other two East Block mineralisation types.

Petea area was originally classified as -18" mineralisation type but was not supported after reviewing borehole and test pit data. Recent results from mining (screening results) indicate that Petea is generally a - 6" mineralisation type. Petea will continue to be treated as -6" mineralisation. The -1" mineralisation type identified in Petea is treated at -6".


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

The surface mining is not traditional pit mining but more an “open cast” system by truck and shovel where contour side cuts are made into a hill. Anywhere from eight to ten hills are actively mined to provide ROM that meets the quality specifications (ore chemistry) of feed for the nickel processing plant.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Calcining
  • Granulation
  • Smelting
  • Dry Screening
  • Rotary kiln & Electric furnace

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The processing plant in Sorowako has three furnace dryers, five oil-fired reduction kilns, four electric furnaces and three Pierce-Smith converters.

The pyrometallurgy nickel processing involves in initial mineralisation drying process, followed by reduction, smelting and converting to produce the final dried product.

Drying - Wet mineralisation from the Wet Ore Stockpile is fed to three rotary kiln dryers. This process partially dries the feed mineralisation from a moisture content of 30 to 40% to produce the Dryer Kiln Product , with a reduced moisture content of 19 to 21%. East and West type mineralisation are separately screened to produce -1” the Dryer Kiln Product, with the product of each type mineralisation placed in separate piles in Dried Ore Storage buildings.

Reduction - From the Dried Ore Storage, mineralisation is fed to the counter-current fired reduction kiln. A blend of East and West type mineralisation is used. The reduction kiln com ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2021202020192018201720162015
Nickel Head Grade, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1.91.891.931.99

Production:

CommodityProductUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Nickel Payable metal kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required72738180
Nickel Metal in matte kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required75777881
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required4,286 kt4,469 kt4,569 kt4,708 kt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required80,000 t of nickel matte80,000 t of nickel matte80,000 t of nickel matte80,000 t of nickel matte
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2021:
Estimated consolidated nickel ore reserves include 3.1 million dry metric tons of stockpile.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 65.7 Mt Nickel 1.72 %
Probable 46.9 Mt Nickel 1.73 %
Proven & Probable 112.6 Mt Nickel 1.72 %

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Cash costs Nickel USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 7,110 / t 6,444 / t 6,539 / t 7,455 / t
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units2021202020192018201720162015
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required103.4   68.5   60.7   106.4  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required776.9   629.3   584.1   789.7  
Gross profit M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required104   6.6   34.1   118.4  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required82.6   -23   5.2   69.8  
After-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required60.5   -15.3   1.9   50.5  
EBITDA M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required235.7  
Operating Cash Flow M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required204.4  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 23, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020
Subscription required 2019
Subscription required 2018
Subscription required 2017
Subscription required 2016
Subscription required 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2018
Form 20-F 2018
Annual Report 2017
Form 20-F 2017
Annual Report 2016
Form 20-F 2016
Annual Report 2015
Form 20-F 2015
Form 20-F 2014
Other 2010
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Aerial view:

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