Posted on 10 Aug 2023
Australian miner Blackstone Minerals’ Ta Khoa nickel (TKN) and Ta Khoa Refinery (TKR) projects were included in the Vietnamese National Mineral Master Plan, Kallanish notes.
The projects were recently approved by the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha. Their inclusion in the plan is an important step in the permitting and licensing of the projects.
The blueprint includes an allowance for the construction of a new nickel ore concentrator at TKN. It also includes a new mine development and the inclusion of new exploration opportunities around the Ban Phuc nickel mine.
There is also an undisclosed allowance for a nickel refinery with a production capacity of up to 150,000 tonnes/year of nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursor cathode active material (pCAM) or up to 420,000 t/y of nickel sulphate or any combination of these products at TKR.
Blackstone Minerals’ managing director Scott Williamson says Vietnam’s approval of this important master plan will help facilitate the development of mineral projects throughout the country.
According to the director, having the firm’s Ta Khoa projects included in the plan shows Vietnam is supportive of the firm’s strategy to develop a vertically integrated nickel mining and refining business.
“This was a critical step in the permitting of our projects and we look forward to making significant progress in this area,” he adds.
Source:Kallanish
