NICKEL DEVELOPMENT: Norascon wins pre-stripping contract for Dumont project

QUEBEC – Toronto-based Royal Nickel has selected Norascon as the contractor for overburden pre-stripping at the Dumont nickel project near Amos. Royal Nickel has big plans for the Dumont project, saying it will be the fourth largest nickel sulphide operation in the world by annual production. Only the Norilsk plant in Russia, the Vale and Xstrata operations in Sudbury, ON, and the Jinchan venture in China will be larger.

Norascon will undertake pre-stripping, the establishment of mining areas, and related feasibility study and permitting activities. Based on the pre-feasibility study, the contract will involve the movement of pre-strip material, beginning in early 2014. The final quantities and timeline will be determined by the feasibility study currently expected to be completed in mid 2013.

The Dumont deposit contains 6.3 billion lb of nickel in the probable reserve (1.1 billion tonnes at 0.27% Ni) and 9.6 billion lb of nickel in measured (359 million tonnes at 0.29% Ni) and indicated (1.3 billion tonnes at 0.26% Ni) resources.

More information is available at RoyalNickel.com.