TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – TSX- and ASX-listed Mirabela Nickel has produced the first nickel concentrate from its Santa Rita project, in Brazil, the company announced on Tuesday.

“The commissioning of the crushing, grinding and flotation circuits is progressing well,” Mirabela reported.

More than 119 000 t of ore has been crushed and the mill stockpile contains about 78 000 t.

Some 42 000 t of ore has been milled and the grinding circuit is operating at as much as 550 t/h.

Production at Santa Rita will ramp up “substantially” over the next three months, the company said.

Santa Rita has total opencut proven and probable reserves of 121-million tons at 0,6% nickel, containing 726 000 t of nickel. Mining is expected to ramp up to full capacity of 6,4-million tons a year over the next year.

Shares in Mirabela rose 4,44% in Toronto on Tuesday, to C$2,82 apiece by 15:59.

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