Sorowako mine
Mine in Sulawesi, Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sorowako mine is a large open pit lateritic nickel mine in the east of Indonesia in the Verbeek Mountains of Sulawesi (the Celebes).[2] It lies just south of Lake Matano. As of 2023, Sorowako is one of the largest nickel mines in the world[3] with proven and probable nickel reserves of 107 million tonnes of ore grading 1.70% nickel, containing 1.81 million tonnes of nickel metal.[4]
  Sorowako Mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Province | Sulawesi |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 2°34′25″S 121°22′27″E |
| Production | |
| Products | Nickel-in-matte |
| Production | US$1,232 million |
| Financial year | 2023 |
| Type | surface |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1901 |
| Opened | 1978 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Mining Industri Indonesia (MIND ID) 34% Vale Canada 33.9% Sumitomo Metal Mining 11.5% Others 20.6%[1] |
| Year of acquisition | 2024 |
History
Nickel was first discovered at Sorowako in 1901 by the Dutch missionary, ethnographer, and amateur mineralogist, Albert Kruyt.[5] In 1915, the Dutch mining engineer Eduard C. Abendanon confirmed that report.[6][7] In 1934, H. R.‘Flat’ Elves, an Inco geologist, dug test pits and did a feasibility study.[6][7]
In 1968, Inco, as PT Inco, received the mining concession in Sorowako[7] and began mapping and exploratory analysis.[8] In 1977, it opened a smelter and the following year began commercial production, in April 1978.[8][9]
In 2006 when Vale S.A. purchased Inco,[10] PT Inco (Indonesian Inco) was reorganized with changed percentages of ownership and became PT Vale (Vale Indonesia), a subsidiary of Vale S.A.[7]
Mine
The mine is an open pit surface mine.[2] The ore is smectite containing disseminated nickel as fine-grained manganese-nickel silicates in a laterite profile.[11][12] The major nickel mineral is garnierite.[11]
The ore is treated in a co-located processing plant to produce an intermediate nickel-in-matte product used in the manufacture of refined nickel. The 2023 annual ore production was 13,452,663 tonnes (2022: 11,552,911 tonnes) to produce 70,728 tonnes of nickel matte (2022: 60,090 tonnes). The matte has an average content of 78% nickel, 1%-2% cobalt, and 20%-21% sulphur. Total sales of nickel matte in 2023 were US$1,232 million.[4]