 A creek in southern New Caledonia. Red colours reveal the richness of the ground in nickel and iron oxides | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| New Caledonia | |
| Country | Overseas territory of France |
| Production | |
| Products | Ferronickel, nickel matte |
| Production | 200,000 tonnes |
| Financial year | 2020 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1864 |
Nickel mining in New Caledonia is a major sector of the New Caledonian economy. The island contains about 7.1 million tonnes of nickel reserves, about 10% of the world's total.[1][2] With an annual production of 200,000 tonnes in 2020, New Caledonia was the world's fourth largest producer after Indonesia (760,000), Philippines (320,000), and Russia (280,000), followed by Australia (170,000) and Canada (150,000).[3]
Nickel production in New Caledonia accounts for 6% of the island's GDP and 24% of private employment. With the exclusion of tourism, nickel ore and derived metallurgical products represent about 90% of the total value of exports.[4][5][6] The industry has played a dominant role in the politics of New Caledonia for over a century.[7]
- ^ "The market". Export markets - New Caledonia. Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Sarrailh, Jean Michel; Ayrault, Nathalie (January 2001). "Rehabilitation of nickel mining sites in New Caledonia". Unasylva. 52. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 16–20. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ McRae, Michele E. (29 January 2021). "Nickel". Mineral Commodity Summaries 2021 (PDF). Reston, Virginia: US Geological Survey. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-1-4113-4398-6. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ "Un quart des emplois privés liés au nickel en Nouvelle-Calédonie". Le Figaro (in French). Paris. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Mining in New Caledonia". Mbendi Information Services. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ "The history and economics of mining in New Caledonia". United Nations University. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ Beech, Hannah (2021-12-30). "Can a Tiny Territory in the South Pacific Power Tesla's Ambitions?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-05.