from Papua New Guinea Mine Watch
Reuters / South China Morning Post
Dozens of protesters have caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to vehicles, equipment and buildings at a nickel mining site in New Caledonia, as anger boiled over at a chemical spill into a local river.
The US$6 billion Vale plant at Goro in southern New Caledonia was closed this month after 100,000 litres of acid-tainted effluent spilled, killing about 1,000 fish and sparking protests at the mine site.
The Vale plant had been expected to produce about 40,000 tonnes of nickel this year, out of global supply of around two million tonnes. But it has been beset by problems, including spills and protests.
Tensions between the local population and Brazil-based Vale escalated over the weekend, with young protesters frustrated at the latest spill and a lack of response from indigenous Kanak chiefs, according to local media reports. Television footage showed images of burned mining vehicles and equipment.
“We had burned vehicles, one administration building was damaged, but no damage to the plant itself,” Vale spokesman Corey McPhee said.
Peter Poppinga, an executive director at Vale, told Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes newspaper that damage to the mining site was estimated at at least US$20 million to US$30 million, including the destruction of perhaps one third of the truck fleet.
“If there is no activity for several months, we will shut the plant, but that’s not the case. The closing of the plant is not on the table,” Poppinga was quoted as saying.
The French Pacific territory’s southern provincial government ordered an immediate halt to operations and started legal proceedings under its environmental code after the spill.
The local government, which had a leadership change last week, has yet to say when Vale can resume production.
New Caledonia police fear more unrest
Radio New Zealand
The New Caledonia police say while clashes near Noumea with young Kanaks opposed to the nearby Vale nickel plant have eased, it is likely more unrest is to come.
The youths are calling for the plant, which has been closed for three weeks after an acid spill, to be closed for good.
About 150 riot police with armoured vehicles have been trying to permanently re-open a key road south of Noumea, which was first blocked on Saturday when the unrest started.
Three police officers have suffered gunshot wounds during the clashes.
A police officer says the situation is now stable and the road is open, but he says the Kanak youths involved might try to block the road again during the night.
“During the night we had some tension, and we had some young teenagers blocking the road. This morning we had some forces that they conduct some operations in order to make free the road, and for the time being the situation is calm.”
The police officer says they are yet to make any arrests for the shooting and injuring of police officers.
In Noumea, hundreds of people blocked access to the SLN nickel plant this morning in protest at some workers risking to lose pay because the road blocks prevented them from going to work.
