El tiempo - Tutiempo.net

Cuba Estimates to Produce some 50 Thousand Tons of Nickel

  • Published in Holguin
  • Hits: 1859
moa nikel 01
 
Cuba estimates to achieve a production of more than 50 thousand tons of nickel and cobalt at the end of this year, said Eder Manuel Oliveros Garcel, director of the Cubaniquel Business Group.
 
The executive assured that the nickel industry, one of the main sources of income of the Caribbean country, faces the challenge of efficiency. The companies Moa Nickel S.A. "Pedro Soto Alba" and "Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara", which place Cuba among the top 10 nickel producers, require constant investments to modernize them, as the only way to keep them in operation.

In the " Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara" Nickel and Cobalt production company, with the entry of new mining equipment, the mineral extraction operations are revitalized.

However, other equipment already agreed, must improve operations such as loading in the mines. According to Yovani Aldana Espinosa, director of the industry, the restoration of the roads is a priority, as they were damaged by the effects of the rains of last months.

Workers of the "Che Guevara" also work in the construction of three large platforms for the ore deposit, in order to be able to face possible affectations with the rains which are abundant at this time of the year.

Currently, about 50 million pesos are invested in maintenance at vital points in that industry. The actions are concentrated in the reduction furnaces and the dust collector systems, to minimize mineral losses and damages to the environment.
 
Maintenance works also include the leach settler.

From the energy point of view, brigades have worked on the maintenance of generator number three, the most modern of the "Che Guevara" plant.

This company has a production plan for this year of about 19 thousand tons. To achieve this, staff training is vital, which is why the Nickel Services Company (ESUNI) increases its actions, since nickel production demands young force.

Nickel, which is used for steelmaking, special alloys and high-demand items such as batteries, mobile phones, automobiles, now exceed $ 11,200 per tonne; while those of cobalt, are around 55 thousand dollars. Cuba exports these metals to China, Europe and Canada.

The immediate projection of Cubaniquel is aimed at seeking more metallurgical efficiency, reducing costs and diversifying production. / ACN