Maggie hays

The Maggie Hays underground nickel and cobalt mine at Lake Johnston, about 500 kilometres east of Perth, in Western Australia , is once again in full production following a two year stint of being placed on care and maintenance caused by the fall in nickel prices, following the 2008 global economic downturn

Company on Track to Lower Production Costs

The mine reopened in 2011 following work being undertaken on its concentrator and pit with normal mode and design capacity being reached in the second half of the year. The ore put through the concentrator is sourced solely from the Maggie Hays mine with its first year back in nickel production reaching a total of 1748 tonnes. Norilsk Nickel, the mine owner, had investigated the adapting of an existing processing facility at Cawse using a new hydrometallurgical technology. The company is looking at producing a nickel hydroxide containing 50 percent nickel. This process will avoid having to smelt the ore as it will refine the semi- product directly. The process will also reduce the cost of the refined nickel.

A Major Expansion Took Place in 2003

The Lake Johnston processing facility along with the Maggie Hays underground mine and all the infrastructure required for such a venture, initially began operations in 2001. It underwent substantial expansion in 2003 when nickel prices jumped to a near all time high levels. This expansion allowed it to increase production from 250,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes annually. The ore extracted from the nickel sulphide deposit at the Maggie Hays mine is taken three kilometres south to be processed at the Lake Johnston plant. The total tenement covers 1,200 square kilometres at Lake Johnston with a further 540 square kilometres at nearby Forrestania. The mine and processing plant offer career opportunities for metallurgists, production and mining engineering and geologists who are employed on a fly-in fly-out basis.

Mine and Plant Recommission Contracts Awarded to the Rapallo Group

The Russian company, Norilsk Nickel, purchased the Maggie Hays underground mine, its infrastructure and tenements, from Lionore Mining International in 2007. After the decision was made to re-open the project in 2011, it awarded the recommissioning contracts to Rapallo Engineering to operate the nickel processing plant and Rock Team to operate the underground mining operation. Rapallo Engineering were given the responsibility of upgrading and recommissioning and supplying staff, project managers, equipment, administration buildings, site camp electrical system and the processing plant. Rapallo is a Western Australian company specialising in such projects.

Rock Team, the body that got the job of mine refurbishment, is a joint venture partner with Rapallo and a Swedish underground contractor Bergteamet. It was given the job of undertaking repairs to, and upgrading, the mines primary and secondary ventilation, rehabilitating the mines main drive and generally preparing the mine for active production once again.

Norilsk Nickel, the Largest Nickel Producer in the World

The owner of the Maggie Hays nickel mine at Lake Johnston, Norilsk Nickel, is the largest producer of nickel and palladium in the world as well as one of the worlds largest copper and platinum producers. It began operations in Russia over 70 years ago and currently operates in Australia, South Africa, Botswana, Finland and Russia. It is one of Australia's leading three exporters of nickel products. In acquiring the Maggie Hays mine in Western Australia Norilsk Nickel has become part of Western Australia mining history.