Cerro Matoso, Colombia's Perth-based subsidiary of South 32, is considering importing nickel ore from Guatemala to support operations in the South American country.
According to local news reports, the company is preparing a pilot scheme to process imported nickel in order to attract investment to modernize and expand its Montelibano plant in Cordoba province.
Ricardo Gaviria, president of Cerro Matoso, said: "The first thing is to determine in the tests which country the minerals will come from, probably Guatemala."
Cerro Matoso will import 60,000-90,000 tonnes of ore for a pilot production programme.
Mr Gaviria points out that Guatemala has large nickel deposits that could provide ore when Cerro Matoso's reserves run out. The pilot program, if implemented, will be operational in the second half of 2022.
In Guatemala, Solway Investment Group owns The Fenix nickel business. Fenix's moratorium on exploration will be lifted in early 2022 after court-ordered consultations with indigenous communities are completed this month.
According to its website, Swiss-based Solway has rights to 36.2 million tonnes of reserves in Fenix, with a nickel grade of 1.86 percent, and rights to an additional 700,000 tonnes in its licence area.
