income stream, page-28

Yep! Leinster (Perseverance) closed to earthquake damage.
There's a concentrator there and it's just up the road needing feed...


Just some reading....

http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/aimr/commodity/nickel.html#nickel


"Industry Developments
In its September Resources and Energy Quarterly 2013, BREE reported the nominal average price for nickel in 2012 was about US$17 504 a tonne, a decrease from about US$22 854 in 2011. The average spot price of nickel in 2013 is forecast to decrease by 14% to US$15 103 a tonne, relative to 2012. In the longer term however nickel spot prices are projected to increase over the period 2014 to 2018 and average US$16 250 a tonne in 2018 (in 2013 US dollars).

The major sulphide nickel mines, which are owned by BHP Billiton's Nickel West, continued operating at Leinster, Mount Keith and Cliffs north of Kalgoorlie in WA. Smaller sulphide nickel mines in WA continued to be operated by Mincor Resources NL, Panoramic Resources Ltd, Western Areas NL and Independence Gold NL. Glencore Xstrata plc closed down its sulphide nickel operations at Cosmos in 2012 but continued its small nickel mine at Sinclair, WA. Glencore Xstrata's Murrin Murrin lateritic nickel mine continued to operate in 2012 and First Quantum Minerals Australia Nickel Pty Ltd continued production of nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate from its lateritic nickel operation at Ravensthorpe in 2012.

Nickel sulphide deposits

BHP Billiton reported that its WA operations produced 104 200 tonnes of nickel during 2012 sourced from the Mount Keith, Leinster (Perseverance) and Cliffs mines. Production was down from 109 000 tonnes in 2012. Western Nickel also operate the Kambalda concentrator south of Kalgoorlie, where ore is sourced through tolling and concentrate purchase arrangements with third parties in the Kambalda region. Leinster and Mt Keith have reserve lives of eight and 12 years, respectively; both have options for further expansion. Cliffs is a high-grade underground mine with a reserve life of four years. The reduction in nickel production during 2012 due to planned maintenance at the Nickel West' Kalgoorlie smelter and Kwinana refinery.

Ore from Mt Keith mine is concentrated at Mt Keith and then transported by road approximately 110 kilometres to Leinster for drying. Ore from Cliffs and Leinster mines is concentrated and dried at Leinster. Dry nickel concentrate is then transported via road and rail approximately 375 kilometres to the Western Nickel’s Kalgoorlie smelter. Concentrate from Kambalda is transported via rail approximately 60 kilometres to the Kalgoorlie smelter. Small volumes of concentrate are sold into the external market; however, the majority of volumes are processed into nickel matte, containing approximately 68% nickel. In 2012/2013, approximately 34% of the nickel matte production was exported. The remaining nickel matte is transported, principally by rail, to Western Nickel's Kwinana nickel refinery, a distance of approximately 650 kilometres. The nickel matte is processed into nickel metal in the form of LME grade briquettes and nickel powder, together with a range of saleable by-products.

The Kwinana nickel refinery has a capacity of 65 000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of nickel metal. BHP Billiton reported that a new hydrogen plant at its Kwinana refinery was successfully commissioned in the first half of 2012.

BHP Billiton announced on 17 December 2013 that due to a seismic event on about 31 October 2013, production at Nickel West Leinster Perseverance underground mine was ceased due ongoing safety concerns. "