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Page 2 of 11 (243 total)
Cliffs Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
NickelCobalt
Opened
2008-01-01
Overview
The Cliffs Nickel Mine is located in Western Australia, approximately 700 km north-east of Perth. It is situated 4 kilometres south of the Mount Keith Nickel Mine and 60 kilometres north-northwest of Leinster.
Processing
Nickel sulphide ore mined at the Cliffs underground mine is transported by road to the Leinster concentrator for processing. The ore is processed through a concentrator and dryer. The comminution circuit at Leinster consists of primary crushing and a SAG mill, followed by sulphide flotation to recover nickel.

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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel

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Mount Keith Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2023Nickel16.3 %165500 t
Opened
1995-01-01
Workforce
While a specific current workforce number for Mount Keith is not available, at the time of its acquisition by BHP in 2005, the mine employed 950 people. The broader Nickel West operations, which include Mount Keith, employ around 3,300 people. The temporary suspension of Nickel West's operations is estimated to affect 1,600 workers across the mines and smelters.
Production
Production overview - 2023: nickel 165500 t.
Processing
Disseminated sulphide ore is mined from the open-pit operation, crushed, and processed on-site to produce nickel concentrate. The processing involves conventional crushing, semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) and ball milling, separation, flotation, and thickening and recovery. The nickel concentrate is then transported by road to Leinster for drying before being taken to the Kalgoorlie smelter.
Equipment
The equipment fleet at Mount Keith includes haul trucks such as the Caterpillar 793 with payloads around 270 tonnes.
Expansion
BHP has announced the temporary suspension of its Nickel West operations, including the Mount Keith mine, from October 2024. A transition period will commence in July 2024, with handover activities for the temporary suspension to be completed by December 2024. This decision is due to an oversupply in the global nickel market and a sharp fall in nickel prices. BHP intends to review the decision to suspend operations by February 2027. During the suspension, the company will implement a care and maintenance program.

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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Care And Maintenance
NickelCobalt
Opened
1978-01-01
Workforce
almost 1,000 workers at one point
Overview
This operation includes both open-pit and underground mining. As of 2022, mining occurred at the Camelot open-pit and the Venus and B11 underground operations. The mine was originally opened in 1978 by the Agnew Mining Company and was acquired by WMC Resources in 1988 before BHP took ownership in 2005.
Processing
The Leinster operation has a concentrator and a dryer.

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Kwinana Nickel Refinery

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2025Nickel-30000 t
2023Nickel-80000 t
Opened
1970-05-01
Capex (est.)
USD 297.00M
Workforce
At the time of BHP's acquisition of WMC Resources in 2005, the refinery employed 454 people. The broader Nickel West business employed around 3,000 people prior to the suspension of operations.
Overview
The Kwinana Nickel Refinery is part of BHP's Nickel West operations. Located 30 kilometres south of Perth, the facility refines nickel matte from the Kalgoorlie smelter into high-purity nickel powder and briquettes containing 99.8% nickel. It also produces intermediate products like copper sulphide, mixed cobalt-nickel sulphides, and ammonium sulphate. In late 2021, Australia's first nickel sulphate plant was commissioned at the site, designed to produce 100,000 tonnes per year of nickel sulphate for the electric vehicle battery market. Due to a global oversupply of nickel, BHP announced in July 2024 that all Nickel West operations would be temporarily suspended from October 2024 and placed on care and maintenance. This decision will be reviewed by February 2027. BHP is also assessing the potential sale of the Nickel West assets.
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 30000 t.
Processing
The refinery processes nickel matte from the Kalgoorlie smelter. The final products include nickel powder and briquettes with a purity of 99.8%. The nickel sulphate plant was designed to be capable of producing 100,000 tonnes per year of nickel sulphate from nickel powder feedstock.
Equipment
The refinery uses a Sherritt Gordon hydrometallurgical ammonia-leach process. It also includes a nickel sulphate plant.
Expansion
In late 2021, Australia's first nickel sulphate plant was commissioned at the site, designed to produce 100,000 tonnes per year of nickel sulphate for the electric vehicle battery market.

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Mt Keith mine

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Operating
Nickel
Opened
1995-01-01
Overview
The Mt Keith mine is a large open-pit operation located 85 kilometres north of Wiluna, utilising a conventional open-pit, truck-and-shovel method. Ore from the Mt Keith open-pit and its satellite mine, Yakabindie, is crushed and processed on-site to produce nickel concentrate.
Production
Mt Keith concentrator capacity expanding from 10.5 Mtpa to 15 Mtpa
Processing
crushing and on-site processing to produce nickel concentrate
Equipment
Liebherr 9600 and 9400 excavators, 50t and 30t excavators, 50t articulated dump trucks, Cat D9 and D10 dozers, 14m Cat graders, 15t rollers, 988 Cat loaders, 45t articulated water carts, new 16MW SAG mill
Expansion
The Mt Keith concentrator has been undergoing an expansion to increase its ore treating capacity from 10.5 Mtpa to 15Mtpa, including the installation of a new, larger semi-autogenous (SAG) mill. Temporary suspension of Nickel West operations commencing in October 2024, with a review planned by February 2027.

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Leinster mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel
Opened
1978-01-01
Workforce
nearly 3,500 workers (at peak, prior to suspension)
Overview
The Leinster mine is located approximately 375 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie. The complex includes underground operations such as the Venus sub-level caving operation and the B11 block caving operation. Nickel sulphide ore from the Cliffs and Leinster underground mines is processed through a concentrator and dryer at Leinster.
Production
Leinster concentrator has an operating capacity of three million tonnes of ore per year.
Processing
concentrator and dryer
Equipment
sub-level caving and block caving methods, Thiess provided underground mining services (2015-2020) including mine planning, load and haul, and drill and blast operations
Expansion
B11 block caving operation became fully operational in 2023 and is expected to be a significant source of ore for approximately seven years. Temporary suspension of Nickel West operations commencing in October 2024, with a review planned by February 2027.

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Cliffs underground mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
NickelCobalt
Opened
2008-01-01
Overview
The Cliffs underground mine is part of BHP's Nickel West operations. The primary commodity is nickel, with cobalt also mined. The mine was temporarily suspended from October 2024 due to an oversupply in the global nickel market.
Processing
Nickel sulphide ore is mined underground and then transported by road to the Leinster facility for processing through a concentrator and dryer.
Expansion
Development of a new roadway to connect the northern and southern mining areas at depth to improve ventilation and provide an exploration platform.

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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Opened
1978-01-01
Workforce
The average population for the Leinster township and operations was 1,000 people, which has reduced to a maximum of 350 since the transition to temporary suspension.
Production
Production figures are not broken down by individual mine and are for the entire Nickel West operations. In the 2022-23 financial year, Nickel West produced 80,000 tonnes of nickel.
Processing
The Leinster Nickel Mine has a concentrator plant. Nickel sulphide ore is mined and processed through the concentrator and a dryer at Leinster. The three streams of concentrate from Nickel West's operations feed the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter, which produces nickel matte. This is then converted into nickel powder, briquettes, and nickel sulphate at the Kwinana nickel refinery.
Expansion
BHP announced that the Nickel West operations, including the Leinster mine, will be temporarily suspended from October 2024 due to an oversupply in the global nickel market. A decision on the future of the operations is expected to be reviewed by February 2027. The transition to this temporary suspension began in July 2024, with operations to be suspended in October 2024 and handover activities for the suspension to be completed by December 2024. As of 2022, mining at Leinster was occurring at the Camelot open-pit and the Venus and B11 underground operations.

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Mt Keith Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2024Nickel0.58 %-
2023Nickel16.8 %43800 t
2022Nickel16.7 %42700 t
2004Nickel0.57 %43076 t
Opened
1995-01-01
Workforce
1,071 (2008)
Overview
The Mt Keith Nickel Mine is an open pit operation in Western Australia, owned 100% by BHP Group. It produces nickel, cobalt, and copper. The mine is transitioning to care and maintenance from October 2024 due to global oversupply, with a review planned by February 2027.
Production
Production overview - 2023: nickel 43800 t.
Processing
The Mt Keith operation has an on-site concentrator with a nominal capacity of 11 million tonnes per annum. The process involves conventional crushing, semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) and ball milling, separation, flotation, and thickening to produce nickel concentrate. Disseminated sulphide ore is mined and processed on-site. Nickel concentrate is transported by road to the Leinster operations for drying and blending before being sent to the Kalgoorlie smelter.
Equipment
Truck and shovel fleet. The concentrator includes semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) and ball mills. A debottlenecking project was initiated to add a new SAG mill circuit to process harder ore from satellite deposits.
Expansion
The Mt Keith Satellite (Yakabindie) project, which includes the Six Mile Well and Goliath open pits, began contributing ore in late 2019 to extend the life of the Mt Keith operations. A debottlenecking project was undertaken to add a second SAG mill to handle harder ore from the satellite deposits.

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Cliffs

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
NickelCobalt
Overview
The Cliffs mine, part of BHP's Nickel West operations in Western Australia, transitioned to care and maintenance in October 2024 due to nickel market oversupply and price drops. BHP plans to review the suspension by February 2027 and will invest US$300 million annually across WA Nickel assets for a potential restart. It was an underground nickel sulphide operation.
Processing
Nickel sulphide ore extracted from the mine was transported by road to BHP's Leinster Nickel Operation for processing in a concentrator and dryer.

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Leinster

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2004Nickel1.88 %44577 t
Opened
1978-01-01
End year
2030
Mine life
7 years
Workforce
around 1,000 people
Production
Production overview - 2004: nickel 44577 t.
Processing
Ore from the Leinster mines is processed at a concentrator and dryer located at Leinster. The Leinster concentrator has the capacity to handle three million tonnes of ore annually. The resulting nickel concentrate is then transported by rail to the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter for further processing.
Expansion
A major recent development was the B11 block cave, which became fully operational in October 2023 and was expected to contribute up to 50% of the ore production at Leinster. This project was planned to recover over 80,000 tonnes of nickel.

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Mount Keith

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2023Nickel16.3 %165500 t
2022Nickel14.6 %195800 t
Opened
1995-01-01
Workforce
The suspension of BHP's Western Australia Nickel operations was expected to affect approximately 1,600 frontline employees across all sites. As of October 2024, redeployment offers had been made to over 700 people across Nickel West.
Overview
BHP announced on 11 July 2024 that it would temporarily suspend its Western Australia Nickel operations, including Mount Keith, from October 2024. The site entered care and maintenance in December 2024, with a review of the suspension scheduled for February 2027. The decision was due to an oversupply in the global nickel market.
Production
Production overview - 2023: nickel 165500 t; 2022: nickel 195800 t.
Processing
Disseminated sulphide ore is mined from the open-pit operation and the Mount Keith Satellite mine (Yakabindie). The ore is crushed and processed on-site at a concentrator to produce nickel concentrate. The process involves conventional crushing, semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) and ball milling, separation, flotation, and thickening and recovery. The nickel concentrate is then transported by road to the Leinster operations for drying before being sent to the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter.
Equipment
The mining fleet includes hydraulic excavators, rope shovels, and haul trucks such as the Caterpillar 793 model. A 2021 expansion plan included adding Liebherr 9600 and 9400 excavators. A contractor, RJV Mining Services, utilised 50t and 30t excavators, 50t articulated dump trucks, Cat D9 and D10 dozers, 14m Cat graders, 15t rollers, 988 Cat loaders, and 45t articulated water carts for non-process infrastructure work in 2022.

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Gonneville Project

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Feasibility
PalladiumPlatinumGoldNickelCopperCobalt
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2024Nickel0.15 %960 kt
2024Copper0.083 %540 kt
2024Cobalt0.015 %96 kt
2023Nickel0.16 %-
2023Copper0.09 %-
2023Cobalt0.015 %-
2022Nickel0.16 %-
2022Copper0.1 %-
2022Cobalt0.015 %-
2021Nickel0.16 %530 kt
2021Copper0.1 %330 kt
2021Cobalt0.016 %53 kt
Opened
2029-01-01
End year
2052
Mine life
23 years
Workforce
Approximately 1,200 jobs during peak construction and 500 jobs per year during operations.
Overview
The Gonneville Project, operated by Chalice Mining Limited, is a significant critical minerals development located on Chalice-owned farmland about 70km north-east of Perth, Western Australia. Discovered in early 2020, it is considered the largest undeveloped palladium-nickel-copper project in the Western world. The project has been awarded 'Strategic Project' status by the Western Australian Government and 'Major Project Status' by the Australian Federal Government. A Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) completed in December 2025 outlines a two-stage, open-pit mine. The project is currently in the feasibility and permitting stage, with a final investment decision targeted for the first half of 2028 and construction potentially starting in 2028-29. Proposed mining operations are expected to begin in 2029. The project is notable for its suite of critical minerals, including palladium, platinum, nickel, copper, and cobalt, which are essential for decarbonisation technologies.
Production
Production overview - 2024: nickel 960 kt, copper 540 kt, cobalt 96 kt.
Processing
The processing will involve a conventional flotation plant. A simplified flowsheet will produce two smelter-grade concentrates: a copper-PGE-gold concentrate and a nickel-cobalt-PGE concentrate, as well as an iron concentrate and a palladium-platinum-gold doré.
Equipment
small, track-mounted diamond and air-core drill rigs, conventional flotation plant
Expansion
A Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) completed in December 2025 outlines a two-stage, open-pit mine.

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Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel

Companies & Ownership (1)

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Kambalda Nickel Concentrator

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel

Companies & Ownership (1)

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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel

Companies & Ownership (1)

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Mt Keith Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Operating
Nickel

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Nova-Bollinger

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
NickelCopperCobalt
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2025Nickel-16371 t
2025Copper-7324 t
2025Cobalt-581 t
2024Nickel-20806 t
2024Copper-9922 t
2024Cobalt-735 t
2023Nickel-22915 t
2023Copper-10266 t
2023Cobalt-803 t
2022Nickel1.85 %26675 t
2022Copper0.75 %11483 t
2022Cobalt0.07 %982 t
End year
2026
Overview
The Nova-Bollinger mine, officially known as the Nova Operation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IGO Limited. It is located in the Fraser Range of Western Australia, approximately 160 kilometres east-northeast of Norseman. The Ngadju People are the Traditional Owners of the land where the mine is situated. Commercial production at the underground mine commenced in July 2017. The operation is scheduled to reach its end of life by late 2026, with IGO planning to transition from operations directly into mine closure. A final Mine Closure Plan is anticipated to be submitted to the Western Australian government in mid-2026. The mine consists of two orebodies, Nova and Bollinger, which are now recognised as a single continuous deposit.
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 16371 t, copper 7324 t, cobalt 581 t; 2024: nickel 20806 t, copper 9922 t, cobalt 735 t.
Processing
processing plant on-site produces separate nickel and copper concentrates through a differential flotation circuit.
Equipment
underground sub-level open stoping (SLOS) and room-and-pillar mining methods; processing plant; Barminco (subsidiary of Perenti Global) provides mining and underground development services.

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NickelWest (Leinster Nickel Mine)

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel

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Gonneville Project

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Under Development
NickelCopperCobalt
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2025Nickel-3200 t
2025Copper-5200 t
2025Cobalt-300 t
Mine life
23 years
Overview
The Gonneville discovery, made in March 2020, is the first major Platinum Group Element (PGE) discovery in Australia and has defined the new West Yilgarn Ni-Cu-PGE Province. It is recognised as the largest PGE discovery in Australian history and the largest nickel-sulphide discovery globally in over two decades.
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 3200 t, copper 5200 t, cobalt 300 t.
Processing
Copper-nickel sequential flotation and precious metal leaching to produce smelter-grade copper and nickel concentrates, and precious metal doré.

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Gonneville Palladium-Nickel-Copper Project

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Feasibility
PalladiumPlatinumGoldNickelCopperCobalt
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2025Nickel-7000 t
2025Copper-8000 t
2025Cobalt-700 t
Opened
2029-01-01
End year
2052
Mine life
23 years
Capex (est.)
USD 541.20M
Workforce
Approximately 1,200 jobs during peak construction and around 500 during operations
Overview
The development plan involves a two-stage construction of an open pit mine and a process plant. Stage one is designed for the lowest capital cost and shortest payback period. Stage two will be an expansion, with the investment decision expected between 2031-2033. The ultimate processing capacity is planned to be 14Mtpa. The processing flowsheet will produce two smelter-grade concentrates (a copper concentrate and a nickel concentrate) and a palladium-platinum-gold doré.
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 7000 t, copper 8000 t, cobalt 700 t.
Processing
The processing flowsheet will produce two smelter-grade concentrates (a copper concentrate and a nickel concentrate) and a palladium-platinum-gold doré. A hydrometallurgical process is no longer required.
Expansion
The Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) covers an initial 23-year open-pit mine life, which exploits about half of the Gonneville resource. There is significant potential for expansion through deeper open-pit mining or a large-scale underground operation beyond 2054. Stage two will be an expansion, with the investment decision expected between 2031-2033.

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Voisey's Bay

Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada · Open Pit

Operating
NickelCopperCobalt

Companies & Ownership (1)

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Chimimbe Hill Mines

western Malawi, Malawi · Underground

Under Development
CopperNickel

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Page 2 of 11 (243 total)