Tapinos

Giant minerals company GlencoreXstrata closed down its entire Cosmos nickel/cobalt operation in Western Australia in September 2012 but kept its smaller W.A. nickel producer, Sinclair, up and running. These decisions have been taken in response to the continuing strong Australian dollar and low nickel prices.

Xstrata Acquired the Tapinos Mine as part of the Cosmos Operation From Jubilee Mines NL
Xstrata had acquired the Cosmos nickel mines, that included the Cosmos, Prospero and Tapinos mines in 2007 from Jubilee Mines NL. The Cosmos mine was eventually mined out and closed and the Tapinos underground mine placed on care and maintenance, leaving only the Prospero mine operating at the Cosmos Project. However, continuing low nickel prices and the high Australian dollar, when compared to the American dollar, saw the eventual closure of the Prospero operation as well.

Tapinos Joined the Cosmos Operation in 2006
The Cosmos Nickel Operation, of which the Tapinos became a part of in 2006, now includes the Prospero and Tapinos deposits and a concentrator plant. The smaller Sinclair mine which is 100 kilometres away from the Cosmos Operation has its own concentrator. The processing plant at the Cosmos Operation uses the conventional method of nickel sulphide flotation to produce a concentrate of 18 percent nickel.

Tapinos Located in the Heart of Australia's Most Prospective Nickel Sulphide Regions
The Tapinos nickel and cobalt mine is situated in the Kathleen Valley, a part of the mineral rich Eastern Goldfields, 30 kilometres north of the mining town of Leinster, regarded as many as being the heart of Australia's most historic and prospective nickel sulphide regions.

Future Production Focus Will be on the Prospero and AM5 Deposits
The Cosmos Operation began in 1999 at the Cosmos deposit and its first concentrate was produced in April of 2000. Five other high grade massive nickel sulphide deposits were discovered in the same vicinity, these being; Tapinos, Prospero, Alec Mairs, Cosmos Deeps and Cosmos. Production was initially concentrated on Alec Mairs, Cosmos Deeps, Cosmos and Tapinos with Prospero being the last to come on line. When the operation reopens after world financial conditions improve it is expected the focus will be on the Prospero mine and a new AM5 discovery.

Glencore and Xstrata Merge to Form GlencoreXstrata the new Owner of the Tapinos Deposit
The owner of the Tapinos mine, GlencoreXstrata, is a company formed after the merger of Glencore and Xstrata. The merger makes the new resource body one of the largest in the world. It has a world wide network of 90 offices in over 50 countries with more than 150 metallurgical and mining sites. GlencoreXstrata employ around 190,000 people worldwide.
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