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Eramet's New Caledonia nickel plant needs supply within days, CEO says

The nickel processing plant of New Caledonian manufacturer SLN will need products of ore in the coming days to ensure its furnaces keep working, the CEO of main shareholder Eramet stated on Thursday.

SLN has stopped mining in New Caledonia due to riots this month stimulated by an electoral reform and the company's Doniambo plant has actually been at performing at minimum capability.

We urgently require to be able to bring ore to Doniambo, Eramet Chair and CEO Christel Bories told the group's annual shareholders' conference.

If we're unable to re-supply Doniambo in the coming days, I would say the next 10 days, then we will begin to enter a. threat zone for the heaters, she said.

The plant has up until now been able to use large stocks of. ore that it generally holds at this time of year to offset the. impact of the rainy season on mine output.

While mining was still at a stop, loading of some stocks had. started on Thursday at one of SLN's mines following discussions. with protesters, Bories included.

The unrest has actually deepened a crisis for New Caledonia's. loss-making nickel sector, for which the French federal government has. been trying to negotiate a rescue package.

Eramet has actually stopped financing SLN due to the repeating losses. and in February protected a deal to eliminate SLN's debt to the. government from Eramet's balance sheet.

The riots suggested that the second quarter would be much more. challenging for SLN than the previous quarter, Chief Financial. Officer Nicolas Carre stated, including that the debt deal had. removed the danger of monetary effect on Eramet from its. subsidiary.

Eramet's nickel operations are now focused on Indonesia,. where it operates the world's biggest nickel mine in partnership. with Chinese steel group Tsingshan.

(source: Reuters)