By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk
New Caledonia’s mothballed northern nickel plant, Koniambo Nickel (KNS), has appointed a new chairman to steer a shareholding transfer amid the territory’s industry troubles.
He is Alexandre Rousseau, who was until now the company’s vice-president.
The company said in a release it had this month replaced Neil Meadows, who has held the position for the past three years.
Rousseau has been with the company for the past 15 years.
Like his predecessor, his main task will be to supervise the company’s main shareholder Anglo-Swiss Glencore’s transfer of shares to a yet-to-be-identified buyer.
The nickel plant, located in the north of New Caledonia’s main island, was mothballed in late August 2024, leaving about 1200 employees unemployed.
Glencore announced early last year its decision to withdraw from the venture, which had accumulated a staggering loss of 13.7 billion euros (NZ$25 billion) in 10 years of operation.
Seeking potential buyers
KNS has since been searching for potential buyers for Glencore’s 49 percent shares.
The majority shareholder (51 percent) remains Société Minière du Sud Pacifique (SMSP), which is the financial arm of New Caledonia’s Northern Province.
KNS said talks were ongoing with at least two interested international companies, which had sent inspection delegations on site during the last quarter of 2024.
Another nickel mining plant, Prony Resource, in the south of New Caledonia’s main island, is also seeking potential buyers for parts of its stock.
The most advanced talks are with South Africa’s precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater, which said it was considering Prony as a possible source for battery-grade nickel.
While Prony had to cease production for several months due to New Caledonia’s insurrection last year, it managed to gradually resume operations last month.
This is in view of a planned inspection visit from a Sibanye-Stillwater delegation, who want to see a functioning factory.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
APR editor | Radio Free (2025-01-13T00:36:47+00:00) Mothballed northern New Caledonia nickel company appoints new chair. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/01/13/mothballed-northern-new-caledonia-nickel-company-appoints-new-chair/
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