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France sets end March due date for New Caledonia nickel offer

French Financing Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday set an end of month due date for New Caledonia to back a state bailout offer for the French territory's nickel industry, ruling out an improved offer.

The French government has actually been holding talks to salvage the South Pacific area's loss-making nickel industry and has prepared an offer to continue offering assistance.

I'm requiring the nickel pact to be signed by the end of March ... as it was prepared, Le Maire informed journalists. Let. there be no obscurities, there is no question of changes.

New Caledonia President Louis Mapou has criticised the deal. as being inadequate, but has however put it to the. area's congress for a vote on March 28.

Under the proposed deal, the French state would in. particular subsidise energy costs alongside local authorities. as much as 200 million euros a year and purchase electrical energy. production benefiting regional nickel plants.

With regional producers dealing with cheaper competition from. Indonesia, the state aid would assist reduce their production costs. and permit them to become rewarding, Le Maire stated.

The nickel companies would also commit to providing more of. their output to Europe, Le Maire said, as the region tries to. secure minerals such as nickel to make electric lorry. batteries.

New Caledonia has three nickel processors - KNS, Prony. Resources and SLN - that have actually been on the verge of collapse due. to high expenses, political tensions and weak international costs. connected to Indonesian competition.

Mining group Eramet, the majority investor of. SLN, this month reached an arrangement with Paris to get rid of from. its balance sheet hundreds of countless euros of debt related. to SLN.

Paris had actually been seeking to settle a deal with the nickel. companies and local authorities in January to revamp the. market however a contract has actually proved evasive, partially due to. parallel settlements over constitutional reform.

France has actually used loans to help prevent the collapse of the. nickel processing firms. However Eramet has actually refused to inject more. funds into SLN while KNS co-owner Glencore last month. suspended output at the KNS processing plant while it looks for a. buyer for its stake.

(source: Reuters)