Ramu nickel mine

The Ramu nickel and cobolt mine is projected to open sometime in 2010 with construction costs estimated at $1.7 billion.

The mine is majority-owned by the Chinese State through its China Metallurgical Construction Corporation and will supply stainless steel mills in China.

The mine site where the nickel and cobalt ore will be dug out of the ground is at Kurumbukari which is located in the foothills of the Bismark Ranges approximately 75km south west of the provincial capital of Madang. The upgraded ore will be pumped, as a slurry, through a 134km pipeline to a refinery located at Basamuk Bay on the Rai Coast. At the refinery, the slurried ore will be processed to produce either high-grade nickel and cobalt metal or alternatively a high-grade nickel intermediate product - source     

Production from the mine is forecast to peak at 31,150 tonnes of nickel plus 3,000 tonnes of cobalt per year - source     

In 2005 the Mineral Policy Institute published a report describing the serious economic, social and environmental risks of the Ramu project - a copy of that report can be downloaded below