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Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations is a nickel mine and hydrometallurgical processing plant located 550 km south east of Perth, in the Ravensthorpe district of Western Australia. Following a difficult commissioning phase under BHP Billiton, the operation is now in stable, commercial production under the ownership of First Quantum Minerals’ subsidiary FQM Australia Nickel Pty Ltd. Ravensthorpe cost BHP Billiton US$2.2 billion to build but led to $3.6 billion in write-downs when it was shut down in January 2009, after less than a year of operation. The closure caused considerable bad publicity for the owner, prompting the operation to be placed on the market.〔(BHP offloads Ravensthorpe nickel mine ) Ninemsn.com.au, published: 9 December 2009, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 The mine was sold in December 2009 to First Quantum Minerals for US$340 million.〔(Canada's First Quantum wins bid to revive Ravensthorpe nickel mine ) ''The Australian'', published: 10 December 2009, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 First Quantum Minerals successfully returned the operation to commercial production in December 2011, after 18 months of modifications and re-commissioning.〔Slater, Tim (15 March 2012), "Mine a quantum leap for Ravy", The Kalgoorlie Miner, 15 March 2012〕 The operation produced 32,884 tonnes of nickel in its first full year of operation in 2012.〔(First Quantum Minerals Announces 2012 Production and 2013 Outlook ) published by First Quantum Minerals, 28 February 2013〕 ==History== Mining in Ravensthorpe considerably predates the current nickel mine, with gold discoveries dating back to 1898. The town experienced a down turn after the First World War but mining for copper continued up until the 1970s.〔(Mining ) Shire of Ravensthorpe website, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 A railway line connected Ravensthorpe with the port of Hopetoun from 1901 to 1925, when the line was closed.〔(Hopetoun ) ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', published: 8 February 2004, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 BHP Billiton commenced a feasibility study in 2002 into opening a nickel and cobalt mine and processing plant at the cost of A$1.4 billion〔(【引用サイトリンク】BHP Sustainability Report - Relationship building )〕 35 km East of the Ravensthorpe. The project was approved in 2004 and construction commenced shortly afterward. The plant known as the Ravensthorpe Nickel Project was commissioned in late 2007 with first production occurring in October and the first 5,000 tonnes being produced by December 2007.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=BHP Billiton - Nickel West )〕 The plant was officially opened in 2008, after massive cost blow outs and delays. Production was expected to total 50,000 tonnes of nickel per year. In January 2009, BHP Billiton announced that it was suspending production at Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations indefinitely, due to the reduction in world nickel prices caused by the global economic crisis. The decision cut 1,800 jobs and was expected to have a major impact on the local economy.〔(Mining job losses escalate as BHP Billiton cuts 6000 ) The Australian, 21 January 2009〕 Nickel prices, having reached a high of US$50,000 per tonne in May 2007, had fallen to under $11,000 per tonne by the time of the mines closure.〔(BHP Ravensthorpe nickel mine on brink of closure ) Perth.now.com.au, published: 18 January 2009, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 The closure had a devastating effect on the local communities of Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun and led to BHP Billiton being heavily criticised for its handling of the closure.〔(Ravensthorpe nickel mine sale ) ABC News, published: 10 December 2009, accessed: 10 December 20〕 On 9 December 2009, BHP Billiton sold the operation to Vancouver-based First Quantum Minerals for US$340 million. First Quantum was one of three bidders for the mine and actually produced the lowest offer. First Quantum won the bid despite offers from Minara Resources at US$360 million and Poseidon Nickel at US$400 million being higher than theirs.〔 BHP Billiton said that the lower price was accepted due to fewer conditions being imposed by the tenderer. The sale of the mine was subject to approval of the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board and the Western Australian government.〔(First Quantum announcement on the purchase of the mine ) published: 9 December 2009, accessed: 10 December 2009〕 First Quantum announced the completion of the acquisition on 10 February 2010.〔(First Quantum Minerals Announces Finalization of the Acquisition of the Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation, Western Australia ) First Quantum news releases, published: 10 February 2010, accessed: 4 June 2010〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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