Nickel Desktop Study

19 May 2016
 Content

• Say Hi to Nickel Processes

• How we will do it?
• Nickel Heap Leaching
• Downstream: MHP and Ni Cathode
• Show Me the Money
• Target and Resources
• OPEX & CAPEX of desktop study
• Next plan…

2
Say Hi to Nickel Processes

INTRODUCTORY TO NICKEL

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI 3

 Nickel Resource

20-40% 60-80%
Limonite

Saprolite
Sulfide Laterite
Ni Production: 60% Ni Production: 40%
 Nickel Processing

Pyrometallurgy Hydrometallurgy

Thermal treatment of ores / minerals for the Use of aqueous chemistry for the
recovery of metals recovery of metals
How we will do it?

NICKEL PROCESS: MHP AND NI CATHODE

 Hydrometallurgy Process
Lixiviant Neutralising agent
Acid ● Water/ Brine Lime ● Limestone ● Magnesia

Leaching Downstream
Ore
~80% rec
PLS ~90% rec
Products

Tailings ● Effluent
 Heap Parameter
Parameter Au Ni

Crushing Required Not required, boulder

usually screened out
Pre-treatment Optional Agglomeration
Agglomeration Cement Acid
Heap operation Static/ dinamic Dinamic
Heap height 5-6m 4m

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

8
 Lixiviant Parameter
Parameter' Au Ni
Lixiviant sodium cyanide sulfuric acid
Lix. Strength 100-350 ppm 25,000 - 100,000 ppm
Operating pH 10.5 - 11 Theoretical pH 0
S/O ratio 3.0 > 8.0
Flow rate 20-30 Liter/ m^2.h 6-12 Liter/ m^2.h
Leaching period 1 - 1.5 months 3 - 8 months

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

9
 Downstream Process
Mixed Hydroxide route

MHP Product
Iron
PLS Precipitatio Drying and
Removal
n Bagging

Nickel Cathode route

Direct Nickel
Iron
PLS Solvent Electro-
Removal
Extraction winning

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

10
Show me the money

FINANCIAL STUDY
 Target and Resources
• Production 25,000 ton Ni per year
• Sangaji: mineable resource 64 Mt (wet) at Ni 1.55% cut-off
• Feed Grade
Element Grade
Ni 1.9%
Fe 12.2%
SiO2 40.7%
MgO 27.1%

• Product quality
– MHP Ni grade 39%
– Ni EW: Nickel LME

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

12
 CAPEX Summary
MHP Option Ni Cathode Option
 
(USD million) (USD million)
Process Plant 1,771 2,310
Direct Cost 1,010 1,355
Indirect Cost 396 478
Contingency - 20% 281 367
Owners' Cost - 6% 84 110
Acid Plant – lump sum 233 233
TOTAL CAPEX 2,004 2,543

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

13
 OPEX Summary

MHP Option Ni Cathode Option

 
 
 
With Acid Without Acid With Acid Without Acid
  Plant Plant Plant Plant

OPEX USD mio $ 214 $ 219 $ 259 $ 265

Unit OPEX USD per ton Ni $ 7,003 $ 7,170 $ 8,028 $ 8,195

Ni LME USD per ton Ni $ 8,500* $ 8,500* $ 8,500 $ 8,500

Ni in MHP % of Ni LME 70% 70%    

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

14
Next Plan..

CONCLUSION
 Findings so far..
• Sangaji’s ore composition is within the range where HL technology
is considered to work.

• There are sufficient lands near Sangaji to be the footprint of HL

pad/cell, tailings dam, ponds, hydromet plant and infrastructures.

• Baseline case provides small economic gain, thus requires longer

lifetime to achieve significant economical benefit

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

16
 Next plan..
• Conduct a lab or pilot plant scale test Sangaji’s ore to verify the
viability of HL parameter in the study and for lower grade Ni
Low cut-off grade, more resources, longer project life

• Optimize the design for leaner CAPEX

PREPARED BY MARULI TUA SIANTURI

17