Vale announces that the Goro project, located in New Caledonia, in the the South Pacific, has successfully produced its first nickel metal product.
“The realization of first nickel is a significant accomplishment and everyone associated with the project should be very proud,” said Roger Agnelli, Vale President and CEO.
“Our operation in New Caledonia has faced considerable challenges,” Agnelli said. “This milestone is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of our employees, and we congratulate them for their accomplishments.”
Commissioning at the Goro plant is now almost complete. Remaining commissioning work will continue to take place over the next few months, with the refinery expected to be in production by the end of the year.
“We look forward to celebrating many more milestones with our colleagues in New Caledonia in the coming months,” Agnelli added.
Goro is a nickel laterite project with an estimated annual nominal capacity to produce 58,000 metric tons of nickel and 4,000 metric tons of cobalt as a by-product.