Nickel Mines’ RKEF operation’s nickel metal production fell by 12.7pc to 10,067.5mt in Q1 2021 compared to 11,527mt in the previous quarter.
Its nickel pig iron (NPI) production dropped by 6.6pc to 71,939.3mt in the first quarter of this year compared to 77,066.7mt in the three-month period before that.
Under the RKEF operation, nickel metal production at the Hengjaya Nickel project in the first three months of the year dropped to 5064.9mt from 5,718.9mt in the previous quarter ending in December 2020. Hengjaya’s NPI output dropped to 36,811.4mt in the January to March period compared to 38,398.6mt in the previous quarter.
Nickel metal production at the Ranger nickel project declined to 5002.5mt in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 5808.1mt in the prior quarter. The project’s NPI output was down to 35,127.8mt in the three-month period compared to 38,676mt in the October to December quarter last year.
RKEF’s total sales volume of nickel in the first three months dropped by 10pc to 10,257.1mt compared to 11,401.4mt in the previous quarter.
RKEF operation’s sales declined by 13pc to $138.2mn in the first quarter of 2021 compared to $158.8mn in the last quarter. Its EBITDA dropped by 29.2pc to $50.7mn in the first three months of the year compared to $71.6mn in the last quarter.