Nickel Forecast

The increasing demand for nickel production , with its associated higher commodity pile crusher price usaprices, has spawned new approaches to nickel production. Historically, most sulfide nickel ore bodies are mined underground at relatively low production prices and with mining expenses that can strategy $20 per ton, and even additional. The current lack of high grade nickel sulfide exploration targets has extra not too long ago shifted focus to laterite nickel deposits, which can be mined at low price using modern day mining and procedure methods that recover ore at grades properly below those that had traditionally been exploited. These new approaches are transforming the way big mining firms and knowledgeable investors are searching at mineral properties.

The trend began inside the 1960's with copper tasks going from smaller sized underground operations, typically with grades exceeding 2% to greater low grade projects with

grades that could possibly be much less than 0.5%. By the 1970's the bulk mining of other low grade metals was advancing, most notably gold making use of new hydrometallurgical approaches at grades well beneath these that had traditionally been exploited. It may well now be nickel's turn to advantage from this technique. Historically most sulfide nickel ore bodies have had grades of 1% to 2% Ni, mined underground at relatively low production rates and with higher operating charges. Laterite nickel deposits may be bulk mined, but the nickel cannot be concentrated, to ensure that both capital and operating fees are ordinarily greater than sulfide tasks. As a result key mining companies are certainly not necessarily on the lookout for higher grades, but rather for big tonnage possible that can be shown to be economically attractive. A single example of low grade sulphide nickel deposits is Hard Creek Nickel Corporation's (HNC) 100% owned Turnagain Project situated near Dease Lake , BC , Canada . Turnagain's nickel grades, low by...