PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX- and TSX-listed nickel miner Mirabela Nickel has continued on trend for the second quarter ended June, with production figures in line with the previous three months.
During the three months to June, Mirabela produced 4 080 t of nickel in concentrate, compared with the 4 151 t produced during the first quarter, from its Santa Rita mine, in Brazil.
During the quarter, some 1.7-million tonnes of ore was milled, at an average grade of 0.47% nickel, and at an average recovery rate of 51%. The company noted that ore quality limitations were the most significant limitation on nickel production during the quarter; however, recovery performance remained in line with expectations.
Mirabela reported that sales for the quarter were also on par with the first quarter, reaching 4 168 t during the three months to June.
The company previously downgraded its full-year production guidance from between 22 000 t and 24 000 t, to between 17 000 t and 18 500 t, with the miner citing maintenance work and disruption to the explosives supply as the main reason.