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Page 5 of 15 (340 total)
Cosmos Project

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
NickelCopperCobalt
Capex (est.)
USD 180.00M
Workforce
179 people (contractor Barminco)
Overview
The Cosmos Project, wholly owned by IGO Limited, is located 30 kilometres north of Leinster in Western Australia. Following a review that showed a reduced expected mine life, delays, and increased costs, coupled with a significant deterioration in commodity prices, IGO made the decision to transition the project into care and maintenance. This transition was completed in June 2024. The company intends to maintain the project's assets to preserve the option for a restart if market conditions improve. The primary focus of development before the suspension was the Odysseus underground mine. As of 30 June 2025, all previously reported JORC Code reportable Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates for the Cosmos Project have been declassified.
Production
The first saleable nickel sulphide concentrates were produced during the 2024 fiscal year. Nearly 295,000 tonnes of ore from the Odysseus mine were processed between 6 November 2023 and 22 May 2024, after which processing ceased.
Processing
The on-site concentrator was upgraded to a throughput capacity of 1.1 Mtpa, with commissioning commencing in October 2023. Wet commissioning of the plant was being finalised as part of the transition to care and maintenance.
Equipment
processing plant, concentrator. The processing circuit includes primary, secondary, and tertiary crushing and screening, a primary mill, refurbished secondary and regrind mills, flotation circuits, and concentrate and tailings thickeners.
Expansion
IGO is assessing exploration programs to potentially increase the mineral resource, particularly the AM5 and AM6 orebodies. The company is also exploring options to rationalise the Cosmos assets and infrastructure, noting the region is prospective for gold and other minerals. Exploration activities in FY25 and FY26 include drill testing for surface lithium and underground nickel targets, as well as a review of gold opportunities.
Companies & ownership
  • IGO Limited
    ASX:IGO
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Nova Operation

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
2023Nickel1.85 %26675 t
2023Copper0.75 %11483 t
2023Cobalt0.07 %982 t
Opened
2017-01-01
End year
2026
Mine life
10 years
Workforce
Approximately 400 people are employed on site, including IGO employees and contractors.
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 16371 t, copper 7324 t, cobalt 581 t; 2024: nickel 20806 t, copper 9922 t, cobalt 735 t.
Processing
The processing plant uses differential flotation to produce separate copper and nickel concentrates.
Equipment
In July 2023, the mine commissioned a Sandvik DL422iE battery-electric longhole drill, the first of its kind to be used in Australia. Following a fire in December 2022 that damaged the power station, 14.9MW of new generation capacity was installed to resume operations. The site also has a solar farm that was expanded in FY24, allowing the operation to run on solar power for up to nine hours during spring and summer months.
Expansion
In October 2024, IGO Limited extended its underground mining contract with Barminco for 29 months, valued at $157 million. IGO is progressing with closure planning to ensure a smooth transition from operations to closure at the end of the mine's life.
Power sources
Solar
Companies & ownership
  • IGO Limited
    ASX:IGO
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Nova Operation

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
2022Nickel1.85 %26675 t
2022Copper0.75 %11483 t
2022Cobalt0.07 %982 t
Opened
2017-01-01
End year
2026
Production
Production overview - 2025: nickel 16371 t, copper 7324 t, cobalt 581 t; 2024: nickel 20806 t, copper 9922 t, cobalt 735 t.
Processing
The operation has a processing facility that produces saleable concentrates of nickel, copper, and cobalt. The site is powered by a hybrid power station, which includes a 19MW diesel station and a 5.5MW solar farm, with plans for further renewable integration to allow for periods of diesel-off operation.
Equipment
Barminco serves as the underground mining contractor, with a contract extended in October 2024 for 29 months.
Expansion
The Nova Operation consists of two orebodies, Nova and Bollinger, which are now recognised as a single continuous deposit known as Nova-Bollinger. As the mine approaches its end of life, mining has become more complex due to operations being on the periphery of the deposit.
Power sources
DieselSolar
Companies & ownership
  • IGO Limited
    ASX:IGO
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Forrestania Operation

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2024Nickel-7571 t
2023Nickel-22915 t
2022Nickel-14028 t
Opened
1992-01-01
End year
2024
Production
Production overview - 2024: nickel 7571 t; 2023: nickel 22915 t.
Processing
The operation includes the Cosmic Boy processing facility. Following the acquisition by Medallion Metals, the plant and infrastructure will be used to process ore from Medallion's Ravensthorpe Gold Project. Medallion Metals will rename the project the Forrestania Gold Project and it will serve as the company's long-term gold processing and development hub.
Expansion
IGO Limited completed the sale of the Forrestania Nickel Operation to Medallion Metals Limited on 2 March 2026. The transaction included the Cosmic Boy processing plant, infrastructure, inventories, and rehabilitation obligations, with no cash consideration. IGO will receive up to a 1.5% net smelter return royalty on future gold production from the tenements. Medallion Metals' acquisition is aimed at creating a new gold and copper producer by combining its Ravensthorpe Gold Project resources with the Forrestania infrastructure.
Companies & ownership
  • IGO Limited
    ASX:IGO
  • Medallion Metals Limited
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Cosmos Project

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Mine life
10 years
Workforce
The transition to care and maintenance was expected to result in redundancies, though IGO planned to offer some redeployment opportunities.
Overview
The Cosmos Project is 100% owned by IGO Limited and is located 30 kilometres north of Leinster in Western Australia. The project includes the development of the Odysseus underground mine. In June 2024, the project was formally transitioned into a state of care and maintenance. This decision was made following a review that identified a shorter expected mine life, delays in reaching full production capacity, and increased operating and capital costs, which was exacerbated by a significant decline in nickel prices. IGO intends to maintain the assets to preserve the option of restarting the project if market conditions improve. As of March 2026, IGO is exploring options to rationalise the Cosmos site and its infrastructure, noting the region is prospective for gold and other minerals, and that the company retains plant and equipment on site that could support mining and processing of such commodities.
Production
Operations ceased on 22 May 2024. The processing of existing ore on the run-of-mine pad was completed as part of the transition to care and maintenance.
Processing
The project includes a refurbished concentrator with a new SAG mill, designed with a capacity of 1.1 million tonnes per annum. The processing plant was wet-commissioned prior to the transition to care and maintenance.
Equipment
two 65-tonne BEV trucks, four BEV loaders, refurbished concentrator, new SAG mill
Expansion
During the transition to care and maintenance, IGO was to assess the value of continuing select exploration programs to increase the mineral resource, specifically focusing on the AM5 and AM6 orebodies.
Companies & ownership
  • IGO Limited
    ASX:IGO
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Kwinana Nickel Refinery

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel
Opened
1970-01-01
Overview
The Kwinana Nickel Refinery is located approximately 30 kilometres south of Perth. It refines granulated nickel matte from the Kalgoorlie smelter into premium-grade nickel products, including powder and briquettes containing 99.8% nickel.
Processing
hydrometallurgical ammonia-leach process, nickel sulphate plant
Equipment
Sherritt Gordon hydrometallurgical ammonia-leach process, nickel sulphate plant with leaching tanks, purification technology, crystalliser, and dryer
Expansion
Houses a nickel sulphate plant, the first of its kind in Australia, producing nickel sulphate for the battery market. Temporary suspension of Nickel West operations commencing in October 2024, with a review planned by February 2027.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Nickel West

Western Australia, Australia · Open Pit

Care And Maintenance
Nickel
Commodities, grades and output
YearCommodityAv. GradeOutput
2023Nickel-80000 t
Capex (est.)
USD 297.00M
Workforce
approximately 3,300 jobs
Overview
Nickel West is a fully integrated mine-to-market business. It includes open-cut and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter, and a refinery.
Production
Production overview - 2023: nickel 80000 t.
Processing
Nickel West is a fully integrated mine-to-market business. It includes open-cut and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter, and a refinery. Disseminated sulphide ore is mined at the Mt Keith open-pit operation. Nickel sulphide ore is mined at the Leinster underground mines. A concentrator plant in Kambalda processes ore and concentrate purchased from third parties. The Kalgoorlie smelter uses a flash furnace to produce nickel matte. The Kwinana Nickel Refinery refines the matte into premium-grade nickel powder and briquettes containing 99.8 per cent nickel. A nickel sulphate plant at the Kwinana refinery began production in late 2021 to supply the electric vehicle battery market.
Equipment
concentrators, a smelter, and a refinery
Expansion
A nickel sulphate plant at the Kwinana refinery began production in late 2021 to supply the electric vehicle battery market.
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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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.
Companies & ownership
  • Chalice Mining Limited
    ASX:CHN · OTC:CGMLF
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Kwinana Nickel Refinery

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Kambalda Nickel Concentrator

Western Australia, Australia · Processing Facility

Operating
Nickel
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
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Leinster Nickel Mine

Western Australia, Australia · Underground

Operating
Nickel
Companies & ownership
  • BHP Group
    ASX:BHP
View on map
Page 5 of 15 (340 total)