Mt windarra
http://www.poseidon-nickel.com.au
nickel, gold, camp, FiFo
Phone:
Address:
8 Churchill Court, Subiaco, WA, 6008
State: 8 Churchill Court, Subiaco, WA, 6008
Email:
Mt Windarra is an underground nickel mining operation that includes the Cereberus deposit on the same mining tenement. It is located 260 kilometres north east of the Western Australian gold mining province of Kalgoorlie. The Windarra mining lease package covers an area of 246 square kilometres.
Nickel Deposit Discovered at Mt Windarra in 1969
Nickel was first discovered in the Mt Windarra area in 1969 by Poseidon Limited prospector, Ken Shirley, who pegged out a total of 40 claims in thelocality for his company. It was an important discovery in its day and it created one of the biggest mining booms ever witnessed by the Australian Stock Exchange.Windarra Mine Sold to WMC in 1974
Poseidon NL were quick to begin development of an underground mining operation and processing plant at the Windarra site and soon sold the entireproject to WMC (Western Mining Corporation). WMC bought the project to its production stage in 1974. At the time WMC declared a resource containing 8.5 million tonnes of nickel bearing ore that returned 2.02 percent of nickel representing an amount of 172,000 tonnes of contained nickel.Windarra Mine Closed in 1990
The Windarra mine was eventually worked to a depth of 550 metres below the surface before operations ceased in 1990 due to low world nickel prices. At the time of closure WMC has mined an amount of five million tonnes of nickel bearing ore of an averaging grading of 1.59 percent nickel from which WMC recovered 80,000 tonnes of nickel metal.Windarra Sold to Niagara Mining in 2007
The Windarra mine processing plant was demolished and removed from the site in 1995 with the area rehabilitated leaving only the headframe and some buildings as a tourist reminder of times past. In 2005 mining company, Niagara Mining, began talks with WMC with a view to purchasing the Windarra mining lease. Talks were successful and by 2007 the new owner was busy refurbishing the mine site and undertaking exploration drilling. Niagara Mining was renamed Poseidon Nickel Limited in recognition of the mines first owner. The latest JORC compliant resource at the Mt Windarra mine site is stated to be 4.77 million tonnes grading at 1.68 percent which can be expected to return a total of 80,200 tonnes of contained nickel.Windarra Mine Re-developed by Poseidon Nickel Limited
The Definitive Feasibility Study undertaken by Poseidon Nickel Limited into the Windarra nickel project was completed in 2013, as was the construction of a 700,000 tonne a year concentrator plant, a reliable power and water supply, tailings dam and employee accommodation.The effect on further development of the Windarra underground mine, caused by drop in the world nickel price in 2013, was largely diverted when an agreement was reached with BHP Billiton Nickel West to purchase the Windarra ore on a toll treatment basis in 2014. The contract between the two companies allowed for a Concentrate Offtake Arrangement (OTCPA) to take effect. The agreement is for Windarra ore to be delivered to the BHP Billiton Nickel West Leinster Concentrate Plant. BHP Billiton Nickel West is to then purchase the concentrate from Poseidon at the London Metal Exchange price on the day of delivery. Throughout 2014 Poseidon Nickel has been dewatering, refurbishing and carrying out infrastructure work at the Windarra mine site in readiness for re-opening. New underground dewatering pump stations have been installed.
