NICKEL: Sherritt starts new Moa acid plant

CUBA – Sherritt International of Toronto announces the start of the third acid plant at the Moa joint venture with General Nickel Company of Cuba. The US$65 million project was the first capital project at Moa to be fully financed by a Cuban financial institution. The 20,000 t/d plant is currently operating at about 900 t/d and will reach full capacity over the coming weeks as testing is completed. When in full operation, the third acid plant has the potential to reduce the Moa net direct cash cost by approximately US$0.50/lb of nickel produced, with the savings derived from an elimination of third party sulphuric acid purchases and reduced fuel oil purchases. "We are pleased to complete this expansion project and to see it start up successfully on time and on budget," said David Pathe, Sherritt president and CEO. "The safety record during construction and commissioning was a 0.48 lost time injury rate with over 1.2 million exposure hours and speaks to the high standards upheld by the Cuban construction workforce." Learn more about the Moa joint venture at www.Sherritt.com/English/Our-Business/Nickel/Moa.