Horizonte Minerals PLC (LON:HZM) has appointed a South American mine veteran to oversee the construction of its Araguaia project in Brazil.
Pedro Rodrigues dos Reis will be project director in the run-up to scheduled first nickel production in 2022.
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A civil engineer, Rodrigues has previously worked as a project director on multibillion-dollar mines for metals groups Minsur and MMG in Peru and Jacobs Engineering in Chile.
Rodrigues oversaw MMG’s US$7bn Las Bambas copper project at Apurímac in Peru, which produced its first copper concentrate three months ahead of schedule and US$500 million under budget in December 2015.
Araguaia, a nickel laterite operation in the north of the country, is expected to churn out 52,000 tonnes of ferronickel a year over a 28-year lifespan with a cash value of US$1.6bn.
Horizonte’s chief executive Jeremy Martin said that Rodrigues’ appointment is “fundamental” to the Araguaia project owing to his “considerable experience in large and medium-sized capital projects”.
“His experience in managing projects from the feasibility study phase through to construction and on to operation, positions Horizonte well to deliver the Araguaia project on time and on budget,” said Martin.
Orion Mine Finance recently referred to Araguaia as “one of the leading nickel development projects globally” after sealing a US$25mln royalty deal with Horizonte.