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nIcKeL conFeRence ReVIeW
Poseidon fills the mill
oseidon Nickel Ltd managing director because obviously it’s pretty hot in the the basis of Poseidon’s restart plans for
PPeter Harold expects the final cost for sector at the moment, but it’s not going Black Swan. The company is also look-
refurbishing the Black Swan processing to double,” he said. “Even if it went up 20- ing to process tailings from Silver Swan,
plant to be slightly higher than current es- 30%, which is probably some sort of indi- stockpiled ore at the mine site and poten-
timates, but still significantly cheaper than cation where it might be, we’re still talking tially incorporate feed from its Windarra
what the company would have to fork out less than $30 million to do a refurb. project, about 300km to the north, as
to build a new facility from scratch. “I would think for replacement of a well as other third-party material.
A scoping study completed in July by plant like that today, you wouldn’t get Harold said the company had com-
GR Engineering Services Ltd indicated much change out of $150-200 million, mitted to restarting the larger 1.1 mtpa
$22.1 million was needed to revive the circuit (a 150,000 tpa option focused on
mothballed 1.1 mtpa circuit so it can take processing only high-grade ore was also
feed from the new Golden Swan orebody assessed) based purely on the long-term
as well as the historic Black Swan open outlook for nickel.
pit and Silver Swan underground. “If we thought nickel was going back
Operating costs are estimated at to $US6/lb again, then it wouldn’t make
$29.40/t and first ore can be fed into the any sense to turn the big mill on, and so
mill about six months after a decision to you just focus on the high-grade, low-
mine. volume, high-margin business,” he said.
GR Engineering is now working on “Because the nickel price outlook is so
a BFS due for completion in April/May. good, based on those supply-demand
Poseidon has tentatively pencilled in figures, it makes so much more sense to
December 2022 for the commissioning Peter Harold go for the jugular, turn the big one on, fill
on the refurbished plant at Black Swan, it up and make a lot of money out of doing
about 50km north-east of Kalgoorlie. and it would take you a long time in this that, especially with nickel at potentially
Speaking at the Australian Nickel Con- climate to build and operate and get it more than $US9/lb.”
ference, Harold conceded the estimates commissioned.”
from the scoping study were likely to in- A maiden resource for Golden Swan – Michael Washbourne
crease due to a number of factors. was due at the time of print. The new dis-
“I’m sure that price will go up a little bit covery made some 18 months ago forms
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