Eramet Invests €34.5M to Upgrade Sandouville Plant
- Eramet invested €34.5 million to adapt its Sandouville plant to a new nickel matte supplier from Finland.
- The plant completed its process adjustment in one year and is restarting gradually until the end of 2017.
- In 2018, the site will process 25,000 tons of matte to produce 13,000 tons of high purity nickel.
- The factory also aims to produce 300 tons of nickel in salts and liquids, 400 tons of cobalt, and 3,000 tons of iron.
Investment and Adaptation
Metallurgist Eramet has invested €34.5 million to adapt its Sandouville plant in Seine-Maritime to a new supplier of nickel matte from Finland. This change was necessary as the composition of the new matte differs from the previous supply from Eramet's subsidiary in New Caledonia, SLN. Consequently, Eramet had to transform its processes to accommodate the new raw material.
Process Adjustment and Restart
After a year of adjustments, the Sandouville plant, located near Le Havre, has completed its process transformation and is now restarting its facilities. This plant, which employs 165 people, is the only Eramet facility in France that processes nickel. It primarily produces pure nickel (99.99%) for industrial use through a hydrometallurgical chemical process. The factory processes nickel matte, a concentrate resulting from the initial melting of ore composed of various metals including iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, and other precious metals.
Production Targets
The plant will gradually restart operations until the end of 2017. According to an Eramet Group spokesperson, the site is expected to process 25,000 tons of matte in 2018. This will result in the production of 13,000 tons of high-purity nickel, 300 tons of nickel contained in various salts and liquids, 400 tons of cobalt, and 3,000 tons of iron.