Atlantic Nickel intends to produce 105,000mt of nickel concentrate at its Santa Rita mine in Brazil by the end of 2020, in addition to accruing 30,000dmt in output this year.
The company—which was acquired by Appian Capital Advisory in 2018—updated its resource estimate to show indicated and inferred totals of 167.8mt of 0.59pc nickel sulphate, 0.19pc copper and 0.01pc cobalt sulphide. An underground PEA is also slated for completion this quarter.
According to Atlantic Nickel, the drilling program began last quarter and has yielded strong results, which are made further promising by the robust market demand for nickel sulphide concentrate, which the COVID-19 crisis failed to taper.
The Bahia-based mine benefitted from the Brazilian government’s decision to make mining essential because it hasn’t suffered setbacks—nor has the company’s supply chain because the suppliers and contractors used by Atlantic Nickel are Brazil-based. There have been some delays sourcing certain parts from outside the country, as well as on-site collaboration with associates outside of the country, but their combined impact has been limited.