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Papua New Guinea
Ramu Mine

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 Location:
74 km SW from Madang, Papua New Guinea

  Regional Office:
Section 95, Lot 18, Modilon Road
P.O.Box 1229
Madang
Papua New Guinea
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Fax(675)-422-1710
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Nickel
  • Cobalt
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Hydraulic mining
Production Start...
Mine Life14 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
The Ramu Mine is one of the lowest cost integrated nickel mines in the world.


Owners

Source: p. 3
CompanyInterestOwnership
Mineral Resources Development Company Limited 6.44 % Indirect
Nickel 28 Capital Corp. 8.56 % Indirect
Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (operator) 85 % Indirect
Ownership Tree
In PNG, the Project is an unincorporated joint venture between MCC Ramu (85%); MRML (2.5%) and MRRL (with 3.94%) two subsidiaries of Mineral Resource Development Corporation (MRDC) on behalf of PNG government and landowner interests; and Conic (now Nickel 28 Capital Corp.) currently holds an 8.56% joint-venture interest in the Ramu operation.

Ramu is operated by the Metallurgical Corporation of China (“MCC”).

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Laterite


Summary:

The Ramu deposit is a typical laterite nickel and cobalt deposit formed by weathering and leaching of the original ultramafic intrusive rocks, mostly dunite with small amount of harzburgite and pyroxenite in a tropical climate with large amounts of rainwater, saturated with atmospheric carbon dioxide, and a local monsoonal rainfall pattern. When the ultramafic rocks are subject to strong weathering, olivine, augite and other ferromagnesian silicate minerals rich in nickel, cobalt and other elements will decompose; the released SiO2 is progressively removed by ground and/or surface water in the form of colloid or siliceous acid, and the ferrous iron is oxidised to ferric iron and converted into hydroxides and oxides, such as lepidocrocite, goethite and hydrohematite, and left in situ. Nickel, cobalt and other elements are absorbed by the clays in the saprolite, or directly precipitated from the colloidal solution, or enriched in secondary nickel silicate minerals, consequently forming a lateritic nickel-cobalt deposit within the weathering crust. At Ramu, nickel and cobalt have been enriched from a background of around 0.3% Ni and 0.01% Co in the ultramafic bedrock up to grades averaging 0.9% Ni and 0.1% Co in the laterite profile.

The Ramu laterite nickel and cobalt deposit occurs in the weathering crust of ultramafic intrusive rocks, mostly dunite. The deposit above the dunite bedrock is divided into six laterite layers, from top to bottom, the humic layer (Q), t ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Hydraulic mining


Summary:

The Kurumbukari (KBK) owner-mining operation utilizes conventional open-pit mining methods. MCC carries out all mining operations with a fleet of excavators and trucks along with other ancillary equipment to support the mining fleet. After an initial trial period, hydro- sluicing, using hydraulic water jets, was introduced in 2016 as a second form of extraction where the geometry was suitable; hydro-sluicing has accounted for around 30% of production since its introduction.

The hydraulic water jets dislodge and transport fine material from the mining face, down an inclined drainage channel to a collection point, where it is pumped directly to the wash plant for transfer to the beneficiation plant.

After the initial logging of the trees by specialised teams, the humus/topsoil and overburden are generally removed by bulldozers; excavator and truck haulage are used if the quantities are significant. The topsoil is temporarily stockpiled on the mining area, and then excavated and hauled to the mining area boundary and stockpiled for later mining rehabilitation reclaim. Overburden is excavated with small-scale excavators and hauled in articulated sixwheel dump trucks. Overburden is either placed directly into pit voids, backfilling the old mining areas in preparation for mining rehabilitation, or stockpiled at the mining area boundaries for later reclaim.

Limonite, saprolite, and rocky saprolite ore are excavated and hauled to either one of the ........


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityProductUnits2022202120202019201820172016
Nickel Metal in concentrate kt  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required353522
Nickel Hydroxide kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required92
Cobalt Metal in concentrate t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required3,556 kdmt3,719 kdmt3,601 kdmt2,270 kdmt
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required6,350 kwmt5,523 kwmt3,876 kwmt
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Reserves at December 31, 2019:
The Ni cut off grade is at 0.5% Ni, and the minimum mineable thickness is at 0.5m.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 21 Mt Nickel 0.91 %
Proven 21 Mt Cobalt 0.1 %
Probable 33 Mt Nickel 0.85 %
Probable 33 Mt Cobalt 0.09 %
Proven & Probable 54 Mt Nickel 0.88 %
Proven & Probable 54 Mt Cobalt 0.09 %
Measured 77 Mt Nickel 0.86 %
Measured 77 Mt Cobalt 0.09 %
Indicated 67 Mt Nickel 0.83 %
Indicated 67 Mt Cobalt 0.09 %
Measured & Indicated 145 Mt Nickel 0.84 %
Measured & Indicated 145 Mt Cobalt 0.09 %
Inferred 21 Mt Nickel 0.9 %
Inferred 21 Mt Cobalt 0.1 %

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018
Cash costs Nickel USD  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 0.87 / lb†  
† Net of By-Product.
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Financials:

Units202020172016
Pre-tax Income M USD 37.4   -15.8  
After-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required 37.4   -15.8  


Pipelines
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Heavy Mobile Equipment as of July 24, 2019:
HME TypeModelSize
Excavator 20 t
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 35 t
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Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 9, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 9, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 9, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 24, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2019

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Management Discussion & Analysis 2022
Press Release 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2017
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2017
Technical Report 2009
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