New Project in new Caledonia, beginning April 2010

This is a view from the top of the massif where the mine will be, looking down on the smelter and power plant (under construction). You can also see the coral reef offshore. To get some perspective of scale - the top of the massif is about 1000 meters high and the reef is about 1 km. offshore. The mine exploration and haul roads go back 15 - 20 km from the coast. It is a big project. We are facing west towards Australia, about 900 km.

arucaria montana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucariaceae) - one of 600 terestrial plant species in New Caledonia, many of which live only here. A significant number of them are red listed (protected) species. A growing list of plants have been identified exist only in the rarefied micro-ecosystems within in the Koniambo Massif. These are plants that have adapted to well drained, shallow soils essentially devoid of N-P-K, but rich in Ni, Cobalt and Chromium. Some of them, like the arucaria, have become adept at pulling water vapor from the air.

There is a team of staff botanists who are assigned the task of surveying, inventorying, transplanting, collecting seeds,operating a large pepiniere (plant nursery) as part of the revegetation and rehabilitation program. In addition, there are consultants who provide guidance on regulatory and technical issues, and university and NGO experts who study the significance of this hitherto unstudied ecosystem.

This is reason we are here. It probably doesn't show too well in this photo - on the lower right side of the rock you can see some shiny stuff - a combo of iron and nickel. Rather a convenient mix, because they are the primary constituents of stainless steel. Makes the refining task much simpler to produce the combined metal product - ferronickel. The geology of the area is as interesting and varied as the vegetation (no coincidence). Lots of chromium and cobalt in these hills as well.

A view of the world's second-largest coral reef, which completely surrounds New Caledonia. To the left is a navagational aid marking the entrance to Koniambo harbor. There is a river network that converges near Koniambo, and the fresh water pushing to get out to sea over the millenia created a natural opening in the reef. The reef opening and the mountain in the background, which is made of metal ore, made easy work of the site selection process.

This is Koniambo harbor, under construction, where, starting in mid-2012, ocean-going ships will bring in coal and limestone, and haul off ferro nickel product.

This is the view that I currently wake up to every morning as I look out of my cabin door at the project site in Kone' in the North Province of New Caledonia. Mostly mangroves in the foreground. The local tribes including the Ondju (I haven't learned all their names yet) derive a livelihood from the fish, and especially the shellfish (large crabs) they pull out of these waters. Hard to imagine that there is a huge industrial project going on.