Mr David Moore MD of Mincor Resources told the Paydirt 2010 Nickel conference in Perth that laterite nickel production globally has exceeded nickel sulphide based production for the first time in 2010. Miners divided as laterite nickel achieves ascendancy

Mr Moore said that he did not expect to ever see again another year with more sulphide nickel produced than the generally lower grade, harder to mine and process nickel laterite based volumes. He added that Mincor's strategy was to continue to further grow its Kambalda nickel business and discover another ultra sized nickel sulphide ore body.

Meanwhile, European Nickel finance director Mr Mark Hanlon predicted that new nickel laterite heap leaching technology would increasingly provide more competitive and greener mining and processing options than in the past. The proprietary technology, developed in part in a joint venture with BHP Billiton, had achieved three years of successful and substantive test work.

He added that "It will be the foundation of European Nickel’s new Caldag nickel laterite mine on the west coast of Turkey and our second planned mine, Acoje in the Philippines."

He said that the results had encouraged commercialization of the process as it offered significant lower costs that more conventional lateral HPAL processing methods.

(Sourced from www.enickel.co.uk)