Ambatovy mine

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Ambatovy
Location
Ambatovy is located in Madagascar
Ambatovy
Ambatovy
LocationMoramanga
RegionsAtsinanana and Alaotra Mangoro
CountryMadagascar
Coordinates18°50′46″S 48°18′14″E / 18.846°S 48.304°E / -18.846; 48.304Coordinates: 18°50′46″S 48°18′14″E / 18.846°S 48.304°E / -18.846; 48.304
Production
ProductsNickel
Cobalt
Ammonium sulfate
History
Opened2007
Owner
CompanySumitomo Corporation
Websiteambatovy.com

The Ambatovy mine is located in Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa. Several exploration permits for the site were acquired by Phelps Dodge in 1995. In 2004 and 2005 Phelps Dodge sold its interest in the project to Dynatec Mining Limited.[1] The mine was set up in 2007 by Dynatec Mining Limited, a Canadian company, backed by international development groups including the European Investment Bank.[2][3] Sherritt International acquired Dynatec and later handed over majority control of the mine to the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation.[3]

The project has several parts. The open pit mine displaced 1,600 hectares (3,950 acres) of rainforest and is connected by a 200km long open slurry canal to the processing plant at Toamasina, which has a 750-hectare (1,850-acre) area of lakes where waste materials are dumped. Effluent is also released into the sea, leading to complaints from fishermen.[4]

Until 2020, when it halted production due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Madagascar, the mine was producing 5,600 tonnes of refined cobalt and almost 60,000 tonnes of refined nickel every year.[5][3]

Ambatovy is the largest investment in Madagascar’s history.[6] The mine employs 10,000 people, of which 8,000 are Malagasy, and provides 27 per cent of the country's tax revenues.[3] The mine has been criticised for its local environmental impacts.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "NICKEL EXPLORATION – Dynatec to acquire all of Ambatovy". Canadian Mining Journal. 2005-02-02. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Randrianarisoa, Riana Raymonde; Soustras, Laurence (23 November 2017). "The Ambatovy Nickel mine in Madagascar has caused numerous environmental problems". The Ecologist. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Mandimbisoa, R. (25 February 2021). "Mines: Ambatovy reprend sa production en mars". Madagascar Tribune (in French). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  4. ^ Raymonde Randrianarisoa, Riana; Soustras, Laurence (2018-06-27). "Uncertainty around Madagascar mine in wake of cyclone". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. ^ Dykes, Jacob (13 August 2020). "No net loss: can development projects offset damage to biodiversity by boosting nature elsewhere". Geographical Magazine. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ Widman, Marit (2014-01-02). "Land Tenure Insecurity and Formalizing Land Rights in Madagascar: A Gender Perspective on the Certification Program". Feminist Economics. 20 (1): 130–154. doi:10.1080/13545701.2013.873136.
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