By Stephen Bell
PERTH, Australia--One of Australia's biggest nickel mines has
been temporarily shut as its owner, First Quantum Minerals Ltd.,
investigates the cause of a processing-plant rupture late Sunday
that resulted in a chemical spill.
A "structural failure" occurred in the atmospheric leach tank at
the Ravensthorpe operation in Western Australia state, and the
subsequent spill was contained in the plant's bunded, or protected,
area, a First Quantum spokesman said Monday.
"All personnel have been accounted for and no injuries have been
reported," he said.
No adverse environmental effects are anticipated, the spokesman
said.
"Investigations to determine the cause of the rupture are being
undertaken with Government regulators," he said.
The mine employs about 640 people.
First Quantum, based in Vancouver, Canada, ranks second behind
BHP Billiton Ltd. in Australian production of nickel, a metal that
is used mainly in the making of stainless steel.
First Quantum had forecast production this calendar year of
36,000 to 38,000 metric tons of nickel.
The company restarted Ravensthorpe in late 2011 after buying the
operation from BHP, which had closed the mine two years earlier
because of low prices and processing difficulties.
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