New Caledonia nickel producer SLN, which is controlled by Eramet, said on Monday (1.22) that the plant's production capacity may be affected after a power accident caused a local power outage over the weekend.
SLN said in a statement that the production process at the company's Doniambo nickel smelting plant in New Caledonia was disrupted by the rupture of several furnace cathodes, which in turn destabilised the grid and led to a power outage of about two hours last Saturday (1.20). But by 6 p.m., the SLN team had managed to strike a balance in the furnace's power supply in order to perfect the furnace's electrical stabilization and the reconstruction of the electrodes.
A spokesman for Eramet said that production is currently at a reduced rate, the cause of the incident is not clear, and it is not known when the normal production rate will be restored. Several nickel processors in New Caledonia are involved in talks to save the loss-making nickel smelting industry in the Pacific territory, which has been hit by energy strains.
