Location | |
---|---|
Province | Sulawesi |
Country | Indonesia |
Coordinates | 2°32′45″S121°21′9″E / 2.54583°S 121.35250°E |
Production | |
Products | Nickel |
Type | Private company |
Owner | |
Company | Vale Indonesia |
The Sorowako mine is a large mine in the east of Indonesia in the Verbeek Mountains of Sulawesi (the Celebes). [1] It lies just south of Lake Matano. As of 2023, Sorowako is one of the largest nickel mines in the world [2] with nickel reserve of an estimated 109.4 million tonnes of ore grading 1.79% nickel. [3] The 109.4 million tonnes of ore contains 1.95 million tonnes of nickel metal. [3]
Nickel was first discovered at Sorowako in 1901 by the Dutch missionary, ethnographer, and amateur mineralogist, Albert Kruyt. [4] In 1915, the Dutch mining engineer Eduard C. Abendanon confirmed that report. [5] [6] In 1934, H. R.‘Flat’ Elves, an Inco geologist, dug test pits and did a feasibility study. [5] [6]
In 1968, Inco, as PT Inco, received the mining concession in Sorowako [6] and began mapping and exploratory analysis. [7] In 1977, they opened a smelter and the following year they began commercial production in April 1978. [7] [8]
In 2006 when Vale S.A. purchased Inco, [9] PT Inco (Indonesian Inco) was reorganized with changed percentages of ownership and became PT Vale (Vale Indonesia), a subsidiary of Vale S.A. [6]
The mine is an open pit surface mine. [1] The ore is disseminated nickel as fine-grained manganese-nickel silicates in a smectite complex in a laterite. [10] [11] The major nickel mineral is garnierite. [10]
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