Nickel Asia units bag presidential award for mining

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines  —  Three out of the 20 shortlisted mining firms in the country bagged the Presidential Mineral Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA), the industry’s most prestigious award, as part of efforts in practicing responsible extraction of minerals.

Coral Bay Nickel Corp. and Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp., both subsidiaries of listed Nickel Asia Corp., and Agata Mining Ventures Inc. received the PMIEA for their environmentally and socially responsible surface mining and mineral processing operations.

Rio Tuba and Agata were recognized for their surface mining operation, while Coral Bay topped the mineral processing category for the fifth time.

“The PMIEA award demonstrated outstanding level of dedication in environmental protection, community development and safety and health management,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said.

“These companies will be an example and inspiration to others to achieve sustainable development. And that indeed mining is really possible,” he added.

Agata Mining, a joint venture company of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. and MRL Nickel Philippines, is located in the municipalities of Jabonga, Santiago and Tubay in Agusan del Norte primarily involved in the development and mining of nickel laterite direct shipping ore.

Coral Bay, on the other hand, operates a hydrometallurgical processing plant in Rio Tuba in Palawan to produce nickel and cobalt sulfide from existing stockpiles of low grade nickel ores from Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp.

The Rio Tuba mine, meanwhile, exports saprolite and limonite ore, and provides limonite ore and non-mining services to the adjacent Coral Bay HPAL plant.

Other minor awardees include Filminera Resources Corp. and Mt. Labo Exploration and Development Corp. for mineral exploration and Mindanao Mineral Processing and Refining Corp., Taganito HPAL Nickel Corp., and Philippine Gold Processing and Refining Corp. for mineral processing.