Advertisement

Rupture halts Ravensthorpe nickel mine

The ruptured tank in the background and debris in the foreground at the Ravensthorpe nickel project.

The Ravensthorpe nickel operation has been temporarily shut down after the rupture of a leach tank and chemical spill over the weekend.

A spokesman for the mine's owner and operator, First Quantum Minerals, told WestBusiness a structural failure had occurred in the atmospheric leach tank, which was after the autoclaves in the plant's production process.

"The spill resulting from the failure has been contained within the plant's bunded area," the spokesman said.

He said no-one had been injured in the incident and no adverse environmental effects were expected from the spill.

"Investigations to determine the cause of the rupture are being undertaken with government regulators," he said.

It is not yet known how soon the plant can be re-started but the rupture is not understood to be catastrophic.

About half the operation's 640 staff are believed to be affected by the temporary closure.

Vancouver-based First Quantum Minerals took over the Ravensthorpe nickel project from BHP Billiton in late 2009.

BHP shut the mine in January 2009 after less than a year in operation after being unable to run it profitably.