Modernisation Is
p. 143 · Read in the full issue
Nickel Industry.
Costly
{From Our Own Correspondent) ODERNISATION of the New [ Caledonia Nickel Co.’s smelters is discussed in a report re ed by the company at Noumea, melting is done by means of > —either coke produced from im ;ed coal costing about £6 a ton, mported coke costing more than ble that sum. he report raps Australia on the ckles with the comment: “The of coal has grave inconveni »s inasmuch as most of it comes a ai country where social con s are frequent and have in the ; produced serious irregularities lelivery which once resulted in jssation of smelting activity at mea.” aother objection to coal is that cost price of smelted nickel at mea is at least 50 p.c. dearer i the price it brings on the Id market. Consequently, France r ides a subsidy of about 100,000 French francs (about 250,000). mother source states, rather y, that the company’s reserves more than five times the size ts capital). le Noumea system of smelting refining nickel ore is old .ioned and uneconomic. Even ast yeal*s record output probably be exceeded this year.
RST stage in the proposed new system is the new River Yate dam to impound at least )00,000 cub. metres of water and luce at least 340,000,000 KWH a (The present dam furnishes an irregular 60,000,000 KWH). le present hydro-electric station ses four turbo-alternators, but use of the small dam-capacity • cannot all be used throughout year. ;n p.c. of the current produced he new scheme will be reserved Noumea, leaving 300,000,000 H for the nickel smelters, le new dam will be financed exploited by a mixed group.
Nickel Co. will contribute the e of the existing installations r ate, and the rest will be con ited by the French Government. estimated cost is nearly *,000,000.
ECTRICAL equipment is to be installed at the Point Doniambo smelters, Noumea, permitting production of 10,000 tons of re l nickel annually. The instal n of four main furnaces, rated 0,000 kws, is contemplated, to er with subsidiary furnaces, st of the changes at the smelt vill be about £A4,500,000. le programme will be spread a five-year period.