Date: October 11, 2018
Location: Kouaoua (New Caledonia)
Address:
Type: Potential Dust Fire
Fuel: Nickel Dust
Industry: Nickel Mining (Natural Resources)
Equipment: Conveyor Belt
Company: SLN Nickel Company (Eramet)
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Société Le Nickel (SLN), now an ERAMET Group subsidiary, was founded in 1880 to support the mining of nickel ore in New Caledonia. Over 100 years later, in 1985, it grouped other mining assets in New Caledonia and became the ERAMET Group in 1992. Today, the Group employs about 13,000 people in 20 countries.
The Kouaoua mine in New Caledonia produces 600,000 tons of ore a year, which is shipped to the company smelter in Noumea.
Incident Description:
On October 11, 2018, the New Zealand news resource RNZ reported a fire at a nickel mine in Kouaoua, New Caledonia. The fire originated in a conveyor belt system used to transport ore to the coast for shipping to the company smelter in Noumea.
No injuries were reported. The news site noted that the fire is the eleventh this year and comes in the third month of a shut-down of the site.
Previous Incidents:
The October 11 fire was the eleventh reported this year, but RNZ stated that many of these incidents are believed to be due to vandalism.
