Make Kitco Your Homepage

Mining News

IGO reports fire at its Nova nickel-copper-cobalt mine, operations suspended

Vladimir Basov

Kitco News

Editors Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of todays must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here!

(Kitco News) - Australian mining company IGO Limited (ASX: IGO) today reported that a fire has impacted its Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation over the weekend.

The company said that in the early hours of Saturday, 3 December 2022, a fire damaged the 10MW Nova power station, which is owned and operated by the company's power partner, Zenith Energy.

"The Nova Emergency Response Team attended immediately and was able to isolate and extinguish the fire. Importantly, there were no injuries and all personnel are safe. All operations at Nova are currently suspended," it added.

The company said that the fire was contained to the diesel engine room, which was extensively damaged. Importantly, IGO noted that there has been no damage to other infrastructure, including the control room, switch room, solar PV, Battery Energy Storage and power distribution network.

"Subject to permitting and approval receipt, it is anticipated mining operations will be able to recommence in two weeks, while restoration of the full power supply to operate the processing facility is expected to take approximately four weeks," IGO said in a statement.

The company expects to provide an update to Nova's production and cash cost guidance as part of the December 2022 Quarterly Report due for release on 31 January 2022.

IGO owns and operates the Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation, the Forrestania nickel operation and the Cosmos nickel operation - all in Western Australia. IGO is also invested in a lithium focused joint venture with our partner, Tianqi Lithium Corporation, which comprises a 51% stake in the Greenbushes lithium mine and 100% interest in a downstream processing refinery at Kwinana producing battery grade lithium hydroxide.

 Glencore inks supply agreement with ACE for recycled lead, lithium, nickel and cobalt
By Vladimir Basov

For Kitco News

Contact vbasov@kitco.com
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.