Perth-based Mincor Resources has achieved its latest milestone as a nickel producer: first development ore, on schedule, from the new Cassini nickel operation in the Southern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

Mincor said it intersected at 2050 N1 Ore Drive, in the upper part of the Cassini orebody, and just one year from officially opening the Woodall Decline.

The ore was hauled to the surface at Cassini’s run-of-mine pad for transport to the Kambalda nickel concentrator at BHP Nickel West.

Cassini is one of two key production sources for Mincor’s Kambalda nickel operations. First ore from the northern operations were transported to the Kambalda nickel concentrator late last month.

“Mining the first development ore at our Cassini operation is another exciting milestone, particularly for the Cassini operations team,” Mincor Managing Director David Southam said. 

“Cassini is the first new nickel mine to be developed in the Kambalda region in many years. With first ore now delivered from both the northern operations and Cassini, we have significantly de-risked our pathway towards the resumption of nickel concentrate production in the next quarter.”

Mincor first began drilling at Cassini in 2014. Its most recently reserve totals from March 2020 reveal ore reserves of 1.05 Mt at 3.3% Ni, for 34,300 tonnes of contained nickel.

Source: Mincor Resources