Nickel mining in Western Australia explained

See main article: Mining in Western Australia.

Nickel mining in Western Australia
Width:180px
Subdivision Type:State
State/Province:Western Australia
Country:Australia
Authority:Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
Official Website:http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/index.aspx
Commodity:Nickel
Production: 160,371 tonnes
Value: $5.743 billion
Employees: 9,839 (FTE)
Year:2022–23

Nickel mining in Western Australia has been an industry that has had many fluctuations of fortune in its history. Large fluctuations in the world nickel price[1] have seen mines close and reopen on several occasions.

Nickel mining is the sixth largest commodity sector in Western Australia with a value of $4.946 billion in 2021–22. The 147,190 tonnes sold during this time period accounted for 5.5 percent of the world's Nickel production and 100 percent of all nickel produced in Australia. The 2021–22 value of nickel sales was the highest in 15 years while the amount produced was the lowest in 20 years.[2]

From 1997 to 2022, Western Australia was the only state or territory in Australia to produce nickel. With the restart of nickel concentrate production at the Avebury nickel project in Tasmania in October 2022, this status changed.[2]

Australia (predominantly Western Australia) holds one-third of the world's known reserves of nickel-producing laterites and sulfide deposits.[3] As of 2011, Australia was the world's fifth largest nickel producer. The only other significant Australian nickel production outside Western Australia is a refinery at Yabulu, Queensland which processes ore from New Caledonia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Cobalt is produced as a by-product in Western Australia nickel mines, producing 5,314 tonnes at a value of $522 million was produced in 2021–22.[2]

Early mines

The first Nickel mines in Western Australia were developed in the late 1960s in Kambalda, Laverton and the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The price of nickel peaked at about £7,000 per pound in late 1969, driven by demand from the Vietnam War and the major Canadian producer, Inco (now Vale Canada), being embroiled in industrial action, creating a supply shortage. In November 1969, a prospector working for Poseidon NL made a promising nickel discovery at Mount Windara near Laverton. The discovery created a spectacular investment bubble when its shares moved from $0.50 to $280 in February 1970.[4]

During the early 1970s, an exploration boom fueled by speculators followed, with new companies searching for new deposits. Western Mining Corporation (WMC) purchased Poseidon and developed the find into a major mining and processing operation which continued until 1989.[5] WMC had initially identified a total resource of 8.5 million tonnes of ore @ 2.02% Ni for 172,000 tonnes of nickel metal.[6] The first shipment of nickel concentrate was made in 1974, but by this time the nickel price had fallen significantly. By 1990 the company had mined 5 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 1.59% Ni and had produced 80,000 tonnes of the metal. Operations at Windara re-commenced several times during the 1990s. Several of the Kambalda mines have since been sold and the remainder are known the Windarra Nickel Mine which, as of 2012 is under care and maintenance.

WMC was taken over by BHP and the company was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange in 2005.[7]

The 1971 movie Nickel Queen reflected upon the Poseidon bubble.

Nickel West

Nickel West is a division of BHP. In Western Australia, BHP's nickel operations are combined under the Nickel West Operation[8] which includes Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Leinster Nickel Mine, Kambalda Nickel Concentrator, Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter and Kwinana Nickel Refinery.

Production figures published by the company at the end of 2008 are for the whole Nickel West Operations and not broken down to individual mines. In the calendar year 2008 Nickel West produced 85,800 tonnes of nickel. At the time, Nickel West also included the Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine.[9]

In 2012 there were press reports suggesting the operations may be divested.[10] [11]

Due to an oversupply of nickel and a consequent drop in nickel prices, BHP announced on 11 July 2024 that it would temporarily close all of its Nickel West operations in October 2024 and place them in care and maintenance. This decision is scheduled to be reviewed in February 2027 but BHP would continue to spend $450 million annually on its nickel operations to facilitate a potential restart. The decision was estimated to affect 1,600 workers and the mines and smelters but BHP committed to offer all employees affected a redeployment or redundancy.[12]

Current mining operations

The following companies operated Nickel mines in Western Australia in 2022–23, according to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. To qualify for the department's official list of principal mining projects an operation has to either had mineral sales valued at more than $5 million, or, for operations where such figures are not reported, had a minimum of 50 employees:[13] [14] [15]

MineOwnerLocationProduction
(tonnes)
PeriodSource
Leinster Nickel MineBHPShire of Leonora80,0002022–23[16]
Mount Keith MineBHPShire of Wiluna
Ravensthorpe Nickel MineFirst Quantum MineralsShire of Ravensthorpe21,7252023[17]
Forrestania OperationsIGOShire of Kondinin11,931 2022–23[18]
Nova OperationsIGOShire of Dundas22,9152022–23
Murrin Murrin MineMinara ResourcesShire of Laverton31,1002023[19]
Kambalda Nickel OperationsWyloo MetalsShire of Coolgardie1,4042021–22[20]
Savannah MinePanoramic ResourcesShire of Halls Creek5,4022022–23[21]

Nickel processing facilities

In 2020–21, BHP operates three processing facilities for Nickel in Western Australia, the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, the Kambalda Nickel Concentrator and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery while Minara Resources operates the Murrin Murrin nickel refinery.[13]

Former operations

Former operations include:

MineOwnerLocationProduction periodProduction
(tonnes)
Source
Beta Hunt MineKarora ResourcesShire of Coolgardie1973–2008
2014–2018
Black Swan Nickel MinePoseidon NickelCity of Kalgoorlie–Boulder1997–2008179,000[24] [25]
Bulong Nickel MineWingstar InvestmentsCity of Kalgoorlie–Boulder1998–2003[26]
Cawse mineWingstar InvestmentsCity of Kalgoorlie–Boulder1999–2008
Cosmos Nickel MineIGOShire of Leonora2000–2012127,000[27] [28]
Emily Ann and Maggie Hays nickel minesPoseidon NickelShire of Dundas2001–2009
Lanfranchi Tramways Nickel MineBlack Mountain MetalsShire of Coolgardie2005–2015[29]
Radio Hill Nickel MineArtemis ResourcesCity of Karratha2004–2008[30] [31]
Waterloo Nickel MineNorthern Star ResourcesShire of Leonora2006–2008[32] [33]
Windarra Nickel MinePoseidon NickelShire of Laverton1974–1978
1981–1991
93,446[34]

Controversies

Fatalities

Fatalities in Western Australian nickel mining include:

Environmental pollution

Despite only operating for five years from 1998 to 2003, clean-up at the Bulong Nickel Mine was reported in April 2016 to cost as much as $6.8 million. At this point, $6 million in clean-up cost had already been accumulated by the mine. A $1.1 million bond had been collected from the former owners of the mine, which proved insufficient to cover the cost. Introduced in 2013, mining companies were required to pay around one percent of their profits into a mining rehabilitation fund, which was only accessible once it reached a sum of $500 million. In 2016, this was estimated to be 20 years away and therefore not able to cover the estimated state-wide cost of $60 million to rehabilitate mines like Bulong.[39]

Because of local concern over the state of the abandoned tailings storage facility and evaporation ponds at Bulong, the mining lease having expired in 2013, and its impact on near-by Lake Yindarlgooda, the Western Australian Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety commissioned an investigation which resulted in a 900-page report published in 2021.[40]

Statistics

Annual statistics for the Western Australian nickel mining industry:[41] [2] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]

Subject1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Production (tonnes/annum)47,83054,49050,17053,27061,11092,990103,300114,100135,190125,770
Production value ($A billion)0.5860.5960.4900.4720.4590.8971.0971.0511.1460.877
Subject2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Production (tonnes/annum)143,930167,450179,460 191,680182,210180,420183,560173,660172,360178,390
Production value (A$ billion)1.8062.2392.0022.4583.0313.5033.8158.0595.1422.997
Employees5,0385,1604,6995,7146,7049,42310,58312,73613,3077,561
Subject2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Production (tonnes/annum)180,150192,450208,540228,300232,673183,320175,752157,564163,374154,383
Production value (A$ billion)4.0414.6493.7123.6253.4193.172.2032.0952.6362.700
Employees7,2669,1688,7987,6646,4476,0965,6455,9005,4746,062
Subject2020202120222023
Production (tonnes/annum)153,516158,710147,190160,371
Production value (A$ billion)3.1683.4804.9465.743
Employees (Full time)7,5007,5538,3019,839
Employees (all personnel on site)7,2857,3458,294

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nickel Monthly Price - US Dollars per Metric Ton. Index Mundi. 2012-10-31.
  2. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/Stats_Digest_2021-22.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2021-22
  3. Web site: Nickel. U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries. January 2012.
  4. News: The 10 Most Ridiculous Price Bubbles In History. Business Insider. 11 October 2010.
  5. Web site: Windarra Nickel Project. Poseidon Nickel. June 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130409225456/http://poseidon-nickel.com.au/UserDir/Presentations/AIG_WindarraNickelProject_June2011_PDF%20%5BCompatibility%20Mode%5D3.pdf. 9 April 2013. dmy-all.
  6. Web site: Mount Windara. Poseidon Nickel. 2012-10-26.
  7. https://www.bhp.com/news/media-centre/releases/2005/08/bhp-billiton-announces-100-percent-ownership-of-wmc-resources BHP Billiton Announces 100 Percent Ownership Of WMC Resources
  8. Web site: Nickel West Media Tour. 19 September 2007. BHP Billiton.
  9. Web site: BHP Billiton Quarterly Production Report – December 2008. 11. 21 January 2009. 11 December 2009.
  10. Web site: BHP may offload Nickel West: analyst. ABC News. 26 October 2012.
  11. Web site: BHP takes razor to WA nickel. Nick Evans. The West Australian. 28 August 2012.
  12. News: Gian De Poloni, Jon Daly, and Nicolas Perpitch . 11 July 2024 . BHP to close Nickel West mines until 2027, blaming global oversupply of nickel . . 12 July 2024.
  13. Web site: Western Australia’s principal resources projects, 2020-21 . . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . . 28 April 2022 .
  14. Web site: Western Australia’s principal resources projects, 2021-22 . . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . . 3 March 2023 .
  15. Web site: Western Australia’s principal resources projects, 2022-23 . . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . . 1 March 2024 .
  16. Web site: BHP Annual Report 2023. www.bhp.com . . 26 February 2024.
  17. Web site: Ravensthorpe Production Statistics . www.first-quantum.com . First Quantum Minerals . 27 February 2024.
  18. Web site: IGO Limited Annual Report 2022. www.igo.com.au . IGO Limited . 25 March 2023.
  19. Web site: Glencore Full Year Production Report 2023. www.glencore.com . . 27 February 2024.
  20. Web site: Mincor Resources Annual Report 2022. www.mincor.com.au . Mincor Resources . 7 March 2023.
  21. Web site: Panoramic Resources Annual Report 2022. wcsecure.weblink.com.au . Panoramic Resources . 26 February 2024.
  22. News: Andrew Forrest's Wyloo Metals to shutter Kambalda nickel mines after prices slump . . Jarrod Lucas . 22 January 2024 . 26 February 2024 .
  23. News: On-site staff at Panoramic Resources Savannah nickel mine made redundant as prices continue to fall . . Alys Marshall . 10 January 2024 . 26 February 2024 .
  24. Web site: Black Swan . poseidon-nickel.com.au . Poseidon Nickel . 19 March 2023.
  25. Web site: Black Swan Mine . www.mindat.org . . 19 March 2023.
  26. Web site: Bulong Ni Mine . www.mindat.org . . 19 March 2023.
  27. Web site: Cosmos Project . www.mindat.org . . 19 March 2023.
  28. News: GR Engineering to concentrate on Cosmos nickel . Australian Mining . Henry Ballard . 1 November 2021 . 21 March 2023 .
  29. News: Black Mountain pays $15m to recharge Lanfranchi nickel . . Stuart McKinnon . 13 September 2018 . 26 March 2023 .
  30. Web site: Radio Hill . artemisresources.com.au . Artemis Resources . 19 March 2023.
  31. Web site: Radio Hill prospect . www.mindat.org . . 19 March 2023.
  32. Web site: Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2006–07 . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . . 27 March 2023.
  33. Web site: Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008–09 . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . . 27 March 2023.
  34. Gilbert M. Ralph . 15 March 2005 . Chronological History of WMC . . 16 March 2023 . National Library of Australia.
  35. News: History . . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 27 April 1989 . 11 March 2023 . 12 . National Library of Australia.
  36. Web site: Edward John POTTS . . www.wavmm.com . Western Australian Virtual Miners Memorial . 10 March 2023 .
  37. News: Trapped miner found dead at BHP’s Perseverance mine . Australian Mining . 12 April 2010 . 11 March 2023 .
  38. 1978 . Department of Mines Annual Report 1978 . Department of Mines (Western Australia) . 27 . 13 March 2023 .
  39. News: Greens say WA taxpayers could be left liable for $60 million mine clean-up bill . . Sam Tomlin and Jasmine Bamford . 14 April 2016 . 20 March 2023 .
  40. Web site: Bulong . www.dmp.wa.gov.au . 24 March 2021 . . 20 March 2023.
  41. https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/Stats_Digest_2022-23.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2022-23
  42. https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Investors/Stats_Digest%2020_21.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2020-21
  43. https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/Stats_Digest_2019-20.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2019-20
  44. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/AboutUs-StatisticsDigest_2012-13.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2012-13
  45. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/AboutUs-StatisticsDigest_2002-03.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2002-03
  46. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/AboutUs-StatisticsDigest_1999-00.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 1999-00
  47. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/About-Us-Careers/AboutUs-StatisticsDigest_1998-99.pdf Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 1998-99
  48. http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Investors/Economic-indicators-2017.xlsx 2017 Economic indicators resources data