THE local government of Surigao del Norte has allowed Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) to operate after it amended a previous provincial executive order calling for the temporary suspension of operations of mining and mineral processing plants in the province.
NAC said under the second supplement to the order by Governor Francisco Matugas that it received last April 3, the province has allowed the continued operations of export companies including mining firms and mineral processing plants as well as the entry of foreign vessels of export-oriented companies.
NAC said its subsidiaries Taganito Mining Corp. (TMC) and Hinatuan Mining Corp. (HMC) will resume their mining operations in compliance with the health and safety precautions specified by the local government and the policies adopted by the entire company in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“TMC and HMC will also resume their ore shipment activities but will require foreign vessels chartered to deliver ores to their clients to strictly observe the quarantine guidelines mandated by (the amended provincial executive order) for the crew of the vessels and the stevedores loading ores onto the vessels,” the company said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.
Prior to this development, NAC said suspending the operations of TMC and HMC can affect its overall business, especially since the two plants accounted for 59 percent of the company’s total nickel ore shipments last year.
