RAVENSTHORPE

The Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation (RNO) is an open-pit mine and primary processing plant located in the south west of Western Australia.

Overview

RNO is located in the Esperance region of Western Australia, approximately 550km south east of the State capital Perth. RNO is commencing a restart process in readiness for early 2020.

Investment will be undertaken at RNO to enable expansion into a second stage nickel laterite deposit, known as Shoemaker-Levy. This major expansion will give RNO a long-term life of approximately 30 years.

First Quantum acquired 100% of Ravensthorpe - then a decommissioned mine - in 2010. We made significant improvements to the process and facilities, and shipped our first concentrate exports in November 2011. We put the mine on care and maintenance in 2017 due to persistently low nickel prices. In early 2020, the mine was restarted creating over 350 new jobs and will ramp up to full production levels over the year.

In May 2021, First Quantum entered into a binding agreement to sell a 30% equity interest to POSCO, one of the world's largest steel producers.

Ongoing annual production from RNO is targeted at approximately 30,000 tonnes of contained nickel.

Mining and Processing

Ravensthorpe comprises three separate deposits of low-grade nickel-in-laterite.

Operations involve mining in three open pits, and ore processing in a beneficiation plant – a simple scrubbing and screening process which upgrades the nickel laterite ore. A combination of pressure acid leach and atmospheric leach utilizes all ore types, and precipitation and filtration recover a mixed hydroxide (MHO) precipitate product, containing approximately 40 per cent nickel and 1.4 per cent cobalt, suitable feedstock for battery production.

Sulphuric acid for the leaching process is produced on site in a double absorption acid plant. Waste heat from the acid plant is recovered and used to generate all of the site's electrical power as well as provide heat for the leaching process.

Ravensthorpe uses seawater piped from the Southern Ocean and pumped via a 46km pipeline. Desalination on site provides fresh water for steam production and brine for use in the beneficiation circuit.

The project includes purpose built facilities at the port of Esperance for transport of sulphur for the acid plant and the MHO product from the plant.

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