Otter juan

Nickel miner, Mincor, acquired the Otter-Juan mine, located at Kambalda in the Eastern Goldfield Region of Western Australia, in mid 2007, when it purchased the private mining company, GMM Pty Ltd. It is an owner operated underground mine worked by a skilled residential workforce employed directly by Mincor.

Otter-Juan Mine is Expected to Close in 2013
The Otter-Juan mine is nearing the end of its productive life and although
profitable mining is still being undertaken at low production rates, it is not expected to remain operable beyond 2013. It is the oldest operable mine in the Kambalda area and the nickel deposit supporting the mining operation is the largest of all the other local ore bodies.

The Otter-Juan Mine has Been in Operation Since 1970
The Otter-Juan mine has basically been a continuously operating nickel mine since it was commissioned in 1970 and by the end of December 2010 had produced 8.73 million tonnes of mineralised ore, averaging a grade of 3.58 percent nickel that has returned more than 313,000 tonnes of nickel metal.

The Otter-Juan Nickel Deposit is Structurally Complex
The Otter-Juan nickel bearing ore body is regarded as being structurally complex, as well as being the most mineralised and strongest channel structure in the Kambalda area. The complexity of its structure opens up a number of opportunities to open up additional ore lenses, a fact that gives hope for the life of the mine to be extended beyond its anticipated closure in 2013, if Micor's exploration team is able to prove up further reserves.

Kambalda Nickel District is one of the World's Greatest Nickel Regions
Kambalda has long been regarded as being one of the world's best nickel regions since nickel was first found in the district by WMC Resources Limited in 1968. Since that time the Kambalda Nickel District has produced more than 47 million tonnes of nickel bearing ore that has returned over 1.4 million tonnes of nickel metal. The Kambalda Nickel District has consistently produced over 35,000 tonnes of nickel a month throughout its long production period. The only time nickel production dropped below this level occurred in the late 1990s when nickel production in the area was partly closed. Since 2001 Mincor has taken a leading role in nickel mining within the Kambalda Nickel District as is now the largest producer in the area.

Mincor has Been Mining at Kambalda Since 2001
Before Mincor acquired the Otter-Juan nickel mine it had been mining nickel from its Miitel Nickel Mine since March 2001. Since that time the company has grown its reserves of the metal six fold, by consistently replacing mined out ore reserves with new reserves being identified as a result of aggressive ongoing exploration and the occasional acquisition.

Mincor currently mine the Otter-Juan, McMahon, Mariners and Miitel nickel mines at Kambalda, as well as having sound exploratory prospects. All the nickel mines owned and operated by Mincor are operated as narrow vein underground mining operations.
All the ore mined at the Mincor mines at Kambalda, including that from the Otter-Juan mine, is toll-treated at the nearby BHP-Billiton Nickel West concentrator plant. BHP-Billiton purchase all the nickel metal concentrate produced from the ore sent to the plant under a long term off-take agreement reached between Mincor and themselves.

Mining at the Otter-Juan mine is taking place at the 1,400 metre level. Mining is carried out using Jumbo drilling equipment while stoping takes place using hand held mining methods. About 30 percent of the ore is left in place in the form of pillars to provide stability to the mass of rock because of the depth involved.
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