Ambatovy mine

Ambatovy, located in Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, is one of the world’s largest lateritic nickel mines with a production capacity of 60,000 tonnes ( 132,27 pounds) of nickel and 5,600 tonnes (11,023 pounds) of cobalt per year. Its life is estimated at 29 years. It is a joint venture between the Canadian mining company Sherritt (12%), who also serves as Ambatovy’s operator, Sumitomo Corp. (47.7%), and Kores. Ambatovy is the largest investment in Madagascar’s history and has made nickel Madagascar’s top export item, accounting for 27% of exports in 2015.

Ambatovy currently employs approximately 8,000 people, directly and through subcontractors, 90% of whom are Malagasy. The Mine, located in the Alaotra Mangoro region, is set on two nickel deposits, the Analamay and Ambatovy deposits, with estimated reserves of 125 million tonnes of ore. The Plant site is located on the eastern coast of the island in Toamasina and is connected to the Mine by a 220 km slurry pipeline.^[1] Ambatovy’s products are nickel (99.8% pure), cobalt (99.8% pure) and ammonium sulphate, byproduct of the metal refining process that that is used in agriculture.  Ambatovy’s nickel products have been listed on the London Metal Exchange since 2015.

Ambatovy is becoming known for its efforts in corporate sustainability and environmental preservation and conservation. It is a pilot project for the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Project and routinely wins awards, such as the Green Star Award, in the Prevention and Preparedness category, and the Nedbank Capital Sustainability Award, both in 2015, for its activities and interventions in its communities.  It also fosters local procurement and business creation, as well as supporting local hiring and community returns.  It is impossible to estimate the indirect contributions of Ambatovy in local job creation but some international studies {link to World Bank CSRM report estimate the impact of the mining industry as two to five indirect jobs for every one directly employed individual.

Timeline

In November 2006, Ambatovy received its environmental permit. The construction period of the project ended in 2011 and first production of nickel was achieved in late 2012. In September 2012, the Malagasy Government authorized Ambatovy to operate. Commercial production was achieved in 2014 and Financial Completion was attained in 2015. The mine is currently in its Operations Phase.

References

Coordinates: 18°50′46″S 48°18′14″E / 18.846°S 48.304°E / -18.846; 48.304