Western Areas plans to double its nickel output by moving ahead with the development of its Spotted Quoll deposit in Western Australia, the company said in a statement yesterday.
The $62 million Spotted Quoll expansion, plus the planned doubling of the capacity of its Cosmic Boy concentrator, will provide the opportunity for Western Areas to increase production from 10,330 tonnes of nickel mined in 2009 to a target of 20,000 tonnes 2010, the company said.
The company said it has also commenced a feasibility study for an underground mine at Spotted Quoll, which will be accessed from the open pit and is located 6 km from the company’s flagship Flying Fox mine near Southern Cross.
The Spotted Quoll mine and Cosmic Boy plant expansion will employ over 80 people during development and construction and 85 people during sustained production, Western Areas said in the statement.