PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified giant BHP Billiton on Thursday confirmed that it had taken 90 staff off its payroll at the Leinster nickel operations, in Western Australia, following its decision not to divest of the Nickel West business division.
It is understood that the employees were working at the Venus project.
“Across the BHP Billiton portfolio there remains intense internal competition for capital; as a result a decision has been made to discontinue development of the Venus project,” a spokesperson told Mining Weekly Online.
BHP shelved the sale of its Nickel West operations, which include the Mt Keith, Cliffs and Leinster mines, as well as the Kalgoorlie smelter, Kambalda concentrator and the Kwinana refinery, earlier this week, after failing to garner a suitable bid for the business unit.
Instead, the business unit would remain in the BHP portfolio as a noncore asset, and the company would continue its operations.