Metallurgist Eramet has invested €34.5 million to adapt its plant in Sandouville to a new supplier of nickel matte from Finland. The plant, which is the only one of Eramet's in France to treat nickel, had to transform its processes to accommodate the different composition of the new matte. The plant will gradually restart its facilities and is expected to process 25,000 tons of matte in 2018 to produce various metals including high purity nickel, cobalt, and iron.
Metallurgist Eramet has invested € 34.5 million to adapt its plant in Sandouville (Seine-Maritime) to a new supplier of nickel matte, an intermediate raw material for producing nickel. The matte of nickel no longer comes from its subsidiary of New Caledonia SLN but from Finland. As the composition of this matte differs from the preceding, Eramet had to transform its processes.
After an investment of 34.5 million euros and one year in wich the adjustment of the industrial process is completed the Eramet plant in Sandouville near Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) is restarting its facilities. This factory of 165 employees is the only one of Eramet in France to treat nickel. It produces mainly pure nickel (99.99%) for industrial use, using a hydrometallurgical chemical process. The factory works from nickel "matte", a concentrate that results from the first melting of the ore composed of an assembly of metals (iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, precious metals ...).
"The plant will be restarted gradually until the end of 2017. According to a spokesman for the Eramet Group , in 2018, the site will process 25,000 tons of matte to produce 13,000 tons of high purity nickel, 300 tons of nickel contained in the various salts and liquids, 400 tons of cobalt and 3,000 tons of iron. "