PERTH (miningweekly.com) – First nickel pig iron (NPI) from the Angel nickel project, in Indonesia, is expected in the first quarter of 2022, well ahead of the October 2022 date initially set.

ASX-listed Nickel Mines on Wednesday that the revised commissioning timetable is expected to see the first of four Angel nickel rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) lines commissioning in March 2022 with the other three RKEF lines to be commissioned progressively over the following 60 to 90 days, resulting in all four RKEF lines producing NPI by June 2022.

The Angel nickel project’s power plant is scheduled to commence commissioning by the end of September 2022, ahead of the October 2022 contractual delivery date, with the project using power from the existing electricity grid in the interim. During this period, NPI production from Angel nickel’s RKEF lines will run at less than 100% of the 36 000 t/y of nickel metal production nameplate capacity, depending on power availability.

Full NPI production capacity is expected to be achieved around one month after the commissioning of the Angel nickel power plant.

“We are delighted with the progress that has been made in recent months at Angel nickel project. The ability of Shanghai Decent to exceed expectations with regard to its construction timeframes never ceases to amaze and we applaud our partner for their professionalism, diligence and commitment to delivering this project,” said Nickel Mines MD Justin Werner.

“The result of this fast-tracked commissioning is increased attributable nickel production and the bringing forward of valuable cash flows at a time when nickel pig iron prices are trading near record highs. The delivery of Angel nickel will be truly transformative for the company, more than doubling our attributable nameplate production capacity and firmly entrenching us as one of the largest pure-play nickel producers globally.”