Name of the Project
Piauí nickel project (PNP).

Location
North-east Brazil.

Project Owner/s
Brazilian Nickel.

Project Description
The PNP is a nickel laterite heap-leaching project and is the world’s first standalone nickel laterite heap leaching operation.

The project has a resource of 72-million tonnes at 1% nickel and 0.05% cobalt, with 73% of the resource in the measured category, and is expected to produce an average of 25 000 t/y of nickel and 900 t/y of cobalt.

PNP1000 will initially ramp up to produce 1 400 t/y of nickel in nickel hydroxide product and 35 t of cobalt a year from 2023; this is the first step towards much high production rates later.

Mining will be a straightforward openpit extraction process.

Potential Job Creation
The PNP1000 operation has provided 215 jobs, of which more than 70% have been filled by residents of the local communities.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Current in-house company estimates indicate that the project is expected to have an all-in financing requirement of $465-million.

Planned Start/End Date
According to current estimates, production is targeted for the end of 2024.

Latest Developments
Following an 18-month construction and commissioning period, continuous nickel production has begun at the PNP.

Further work still needs to be completed on the cobalt circuit over the next four to six months. As there is much less cobalt in the ore than nickel, Brazilian Nickel CEO Mike Oxley has said it will take some time for cobalt tenors in solution to reach the required levels for cobalt hydroxide production to begin. A further announcement on the start of cobalt hydroxide production is expected later this year.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
SNC Lavalin (BFS).

Contact Details for Project Information
Brazilian Nickel, email info@brnickel.com.