the Araguaia nickel laterite project is considered to be one of the world’s biggest undeveloped saprolite nickel resources
The high-grade nickel laterite project is estimated to contain 233,200t (515Mlb) of nickel and 25,580t (56Mlb) of cobalt
Horizonte Minerals fully owns the project, which is expected to have a 28-year life and two years of pre-production, which includes plant construction time. It is estimated to produce approximately 14,500 tonnes per annum (tpa) of nickel
through rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF)
for which Horizonte conducted a pilot test during April-May 2015
The project also includes the Glencore Araguaia nickel project (GAP)
the acquisition of which was completed in August 2016
GAP was acquired from Xstrata Brasil Exploraçâo Mineral under an agreement entered in September 2015
The pre-feasibility study (PFS) of the Araguaia project was completed in 2016
while the feasibility study (FS) results were released in October 2018
The FS proposed the construction of a second RKEF process plant in the second phase
with an aim to double the output from 14,500tpa to 29,000tpa
is estimated to support a 26-year mine life yielding a cash flow of $2.6bn post-taxation
The project obtained a preliminary licence (PL) in 2017 and construction licence from the Brazilian Pará State Environmental Agency (SEMAS) in January 2018
Horizonte expects to start production from the first phase by 2021
Araguaia nickel project geology and mineralisation
The Araguaia nickel laterite project lies within the Neoproterozoic Araguaia Fold Belt
a north to south trending orogenic zone along the contact of the Amazon Craton to the west and São Fransisco Craton to the east
The belt comprises metamorphosed and deformed marine-clastic sediments of the Tocantins Group and is split into two parts
namely Estrondo Formation and the Couto de Magalhães Formation
The Estrondo Formation comprises mostly of greenschist to amphibolite facies grade-metamorphosed sediments
while the Couto de Magalhães Formation hosts weakly-metamorphosed marine pelites
The project includes 18 nickel laterite targets
of which mineral resources were estimated for 14 deposits
Nickel laterites present in the deposits are believed to have formed in a seasonally wet tropical climate on altered serpentinised peridotite
The nickel laterite deposits are developed on peridotites
which are a part of mafic-ultramafic complexes
The Araguaia nickel project is estimated to contain probable reserves of 27.29Mt of ore grading 1.69% Ni
Horizonte Minerals proposes to use typical truck and excavator mining methods at the Araguaia nickel project
The open-pit mine is expected to produce run-of-mine (RoM) ore from eight open-pits (deposits) and supply 0.9Mt of ore to a processing and smelter facility
Ore will be stockpiled initially according to the rock type (limonite
and saprolite) before forwarding to the processing facility
The RKEF process at the processing and smelter facility will comprise one primary and one secondary crushing station
Run-of-mine ore from the open-pit will be blended
and agglomerated in a rotary drier before feeding to the rotary kiln
where the ore will be completely dried and calcined to remove chemically-combined moisture
Calcine from the kiln will then be transferred to the electric furnace where final reduction
melting and separation of the metal and slag will be done at high temperature
the metal will be transferred by ladle to the refining stage
The final FeNi product containing 30% Ni (FeNi30) will be granulated with water
It will be packed in containers and shipped directly to the clients through the Vila do Conde Port
Power supply will be made through a new 500kV line that will run from Parauapebas to Miracema
A new 500/230kV step-down substation and a 230/13.8kV substation will be constructed for the same at the project site
Water for the project will be sourced from the Arraias do Araguaia river through a 10km purpose-built pipeline
Employee accommodation is proposed to be provided at the town of Conceição do Araguaia
Horizonte has engaged Steinweg Handelsveem to study the Material transport and logistics
while SM&A Electrics was engaged for reviewing the power infrastructure and power transmission line
VCE Mine Consultancy was engaged to conduct mining permit reporting
while Environmental Resources Management (ERM) was entrusted with the hydrogeology and the environmental and social permitting aspects as part of the feasibility study
Worley Parsons Group will undertake the process engineering study
while Snowden Mining Industry Consultants is responsible for mine planning
and Prime Resources participated in the preparation of the project’s technical report
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Theologian and a lifetime companion of Frei Joao Xerri
The motivation of the liberating faith inspired Frei João (Fr Ġwann) Xerri and his equipe to create in 1982 the Solidarity Group São Domingos, destined to show solidarity with peoples and movements that struggle against any type of colonialism or domination
the group supported the struggle for agrarian reform and collaborated with the CPT (Pastoral Land Commission)
especially in land conflicts in the state of Paraná in the south and in the state of Para in the north of Brazil
João was present in the region of Conceição do Araguaia when landowners and the military government persecuted the French priests Aristides Camio and François Gouriou
accused of inciting land occupations to bring about land reform
The army occupied the city and appointed a military chaplain to take over the parish
the diocese sent Frei João Xerri to Conceicao de Araguaia
published a collection of letters from Fr Aristides
with the very significant title ‘The important thing is the people’
the São Domingos Solidarity Group began its collaboration with the people of South Africa in the fight against ‘apartheid’
It also supported the struggle for freedom of the peoples of Central America and
in the company of Dom Tomás Balduíno
Among João’s friendly personalities
leader of the liberation of Timor-Leste and the first president of the free country
Since 1993 he had been collaborating with the people of Timor-Leste for their liberation from Indonesia
at the Dominican’s convent in São Paulo
future chancellor of the liberated country
the annual launch in Brazil of the Latin American Agenda
Produced by Dom Pedro Casaldáliga and his equipe
dates and names that stood out in the history of the liberation of our continent
Frei João accompanied me on trips to Nicaragua and Cuba
he was promoter of Justice and Peace Commission of the Dominican Order in Latin America and the Caribbean
he was promoter of Justice and Peace of the Dominican Friars in the Southern Cone
Invited to assume the mission of general prosecutor of Justice and Peace and permanent delegate of the Dominican Order to the UN
Frei João became a member of the General Council of the Order and president of the Interprovincial Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean – CIDALC
he was a member of the Dominican family’s Justice and Peace Commission in Brazil and was advisor to the Pastoral Land Commission of the Brazilian bishops
João took the film Baptism of Blood, based on my book of the same name
he exhibited it at the assembly of superiors of Dominican Sisters throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
and to superiors of Dominican friars in the same region
one of the great values of the film is that it tells a fact
without justifying it or making it a paradigm
It is not a movie of bad guys and good guys
It is the narrative of the fact in its full truth
is the treatment given to the issue of torture
is the way it handles whistleblowing under torture: this is a taboo that really needs to be faced
We will no longer see his smile contained. We won’t see him walking like a sailor on deck
his body swaying slightly as if his shoulders weighed him down
powerful voice and his right hand when a situation aroused vehement indignation
we will keep in memory his legacy as a militant of all just
whether it was the workers’ struggle on the outskirts of São Paulo
symbolised by the trade unionist Santo Dias, who was assassinated
and whose family he became friends with; or the right always denied to Palestinians of living in a free and sovereign state
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