Even the best projects are difficult to deliver

Implications: Raventhorpe nickel mine has always been considered a first class deposit but it shows as difficult is nowadays even for the best equipped mining companies to deliver a project on time.

Analysis: Initial testwork at Ravensthorpe mine started in 1997 and were carry out by Comet Resources as part of a pre-feasibility study. It was acquired by BHP Billiton in 1999 which changed the scope of the project to incluse atmospheric leach.

Approval arrived in 2004, construction started late the same year and the first refined nickel was due in Q3 2007. Implementation period= 8 years and as the article shows it is not over yet.

Raventhorpe is not the only project that has faced problems in the last 20 years. Others are, for instance, Voisey's Bay and Goro of Vale Inco.

The implementation of new mining projects is a huge task which means to consider political, social and technological issues that are correlated one to another and if mismanaged bring as result an importatnt increase in capital costs.

These difficulties, in which, also well equipped mining companies occured over the years is the main reason of the lack of nickel supply recorded in recent years. Unfortunately the majority of the world nickel reserves are of the laterite type which are the most difficult to mine
and often located in countries with significant political and social risks: tit will not be easy to increase nickel mine capacity in the short term.