BCL Mine to close shaft, mum on job losses

The mine, however, is tight-lipped on what this move and other efficiency initiatives will mean in terms of overall redundancies at the nickel and copper operation. The South East Extension shaft’s unit costs of operation at $5.20 per pound of nickel against the current average global price of $4.00 per pound, mean the mine is suffering losses for every pound recovered.

Yesterday, BCL Mine managing director, Dan Mahupela told journalists that the 1.5 kilometre deep shaft would be mined for the next 11 months, before ‘orderly closure’.