Caraíbas Plant Area
Project
Caraíbas.N913
The Caraíbas project is a large-scale, near-surface, nickel-copper-cobalt sulfide Greenfield asset located in the southwest of the state of Bahia.
The project is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2024 and consists of a simple, low-cost open pit operation. The mined, screened and crushed raw ore can be easily sold to steel mills, refineries and other mining companies that can process and produce sulphide or laterite nickel concentrates.
The region boasts a highly developed infrastructure, including roads, a dam, and power supply, and is located only about an hour away from Vitória da Conquista airport. Furthermore, the Caraíba N913 mine covers an area of approximately 1,800 hectares of mining rights. Its privileged location, just 3 kilometers from the BA625 highway and 343 kilometers from the port of Ilhéus, provides CPP Mineração Bahia with an extremely profitable and attractive operating opportunity in the supply of high-grade raw nickel in Bahia.
The Discovery of Nickel
CPP Mineração Bahia discovered a regional nickel sulfide system in the semi-arid region in the southwest of the State of Bahia, which is located approximately 10 km from the city of Caraíbas. The discovery took place through new detailed surface field mapping, in addition to the geochemical activity of the soil.
The full extent of the system is currently unknown, and exploration work is ongoing. Selected metallurgical samples of composites within the study area are currently being collected for preliminary testing, including detailed mineralogy, as well as laboratory flotation tests.
The ore sample presents significant economic potential, mainly due to the nickel content confirmed by two different laboratories. Secondary elements such as alumina (Al₂O₃) and magnesium (MgO) can also add value, depending on the beneficiation process adopted.
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2.13% Ni (Nautilus Report) average content of the samples
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2.73% Ni (Intertek report) average content of the samples
In the northeastern extension, patches of nickel-bearing ultramafic outcrop rocks were identified using surface mapping supported by soil geochemistry.
Mineralization observed over an extent within a radius of 1km² is composed primarily of disseminated nickel sulphide mineralization with an irregular network texture with zones of high-grade massive sulphide mineralization with localized thickening of up to 1.5 meters grading up to 3.59% nickel (4.8% NiEq).
