First Quantum Temporarily Halts Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine Operations, Suspends Dividend
First Quantum Temporarily Halts Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine Operations, Suspends Dividend
Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM) has temporarily halted mining operations at its Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western Australia.
加拿大礦業公司First Quantum Minerals（多倫多證券交易所股票代碼：FM）已暫時停止其位於西澳大利亞州的拉文斯索普鎳礦的採礦業務。
The decision follows the forced closure of one of the company's key assets, a copper mine in Panama.
該決定是在強制關閉該公司的關鍵資產之一，即巴拿馬的一座銅礦之後作出的。
The Ravensthorpe nickel operation will witness a 30% reduction in its workforce — approximately 125 people. First Quantum stated that nickel sales would continue from existing stockpiles.
拉文斯索普鎳礦業務的員工人數將減少30％，約125人。First Quantum表示，將繼續從現有庫存中銷售鎳。
Mining will resume at the Hale Bopp and Halleys ore bodies at Ravensthorpe once the stockpiles are depleted. That could take 18 to 24 months.
庫存耗盡後，位於拉文斯索普的Hale Bopp和Halleys礦體將恢復採礦。這可能需要 18 到 24 個月的時間。
The mine's recent financial performance has been under strain, with losses amounting to $66 million in the nine months leading up to September 30. Coupled with the ongoing decline in nickel prices, First Quantum opted for this temporary suspension, considering the Ravensthorpe mine's relatively high operational costs.
該礦最近的財務業績一直處於緊張狀態，在截至9月30日的九個月中，虧損總額爲6600萬美元。加上鎳價持續下跌，考慮到拉文斯索普礦的運營成本相對較高，First Quantum選擇了暫時停產。
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Ravensthorpe had previously faced a suspension in operations from 2017 to 2019. Known for its difficult laterite geology, Ravensthorpe involves a more costly processing method called high-pressure acid leach (HPAL).
拉文斯索普此前曾在2017年至2019年期間面臨運營暫停。Ravensthorpe以其困難的紅土地質而聞名，它涉及一種更昂貴的加工方法，稱爲高壓酸浸法（HPAL）。
In 2021, First Quantum sold a 30% stake in the Ravensthorpe mine for $240 million to South Korea's POSCO (KRX: 005490), retaining a 70% stake and continuing as the operator.
2021年，First Quantum以2.4億美元的價格向韓國浦項制鐵（KRX：005490）出售了拉文斯索普礦30％的股份，保留了70％的股份並繼續擔任運營商。
Last year, the mine produced approximately 30,000 tons of nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate and nearly 1,000 tons of cobalt.
去年，該礦在混合氫氧化物沉澱物中生產了約3萬噸鎳和近1,000噸鈷。
However, neither of these metals fared well, with oversupply causing the post-2020 bubble to deflate and prices to return to levels not seen since early 2021.
但是，這兩種金屬都表現不佳，供過於求導致2020年後的泡沫萎縮，價格恢復到2021年初以來從未見過的水平。
\South East Asia Iron and Steel Institute reported that BMI research expects oversupply to continue, owing to a growing production in Indonesia.
\ 東南亞鋼鐵協會報告稱，由於印度尼西亞產量增長，BMI的研究預計，供應過剩將持續下去。
In 2023, nickel was the worst-performing metal on the London Metals Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange, losing over 40% of its value.
2023年，鎳是倫敦金屬交易所和上海期貨交易所表現最差的金屬，其價值下跌了40％以上。
First Quantum's move to halt operations at Ravensthorpe aligns with its broader strategy to navigate challenges in the mining industry, including the suspension of its dividend, reduction or rephasing of capital expenditure, and exploring the sale of smaller mines and interests in larger mining assets. The company aims to strengthen its financial position while maintaining its commitment to operations in Zambia.
First Quantum停止在Ravensthorpe運營的舉動符合其應對採礦業挑戰的更廣泛戰略，包括暫停分紅、減少或調整資本支出，以及探索出售小型礦山和大型礦業資產的權益。該公司的目標是鞏固其財務狀況，同時維持其對贊比亞業務的承諾。
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