In New Caledonia, the uncertain future of a giant nickel plant
The Goro Nickel mine in New Caledonia.
Fred PAYET / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The possible closure of a gigantic nickel factory in New Caledonia worries unions and local elected officials who fear the harmful economic consequences for the archipelago.
A redemption trail fell through this week.
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"
It is 5% of salaried employment that would be called into question with the closure of this factory,
" warns the president of the Southern Province of
New Caledonia
, Sonia Backès, very worried about the
economic consequences
of the closure of the plant. factory.
Operated by Brazilian group Vale, the site allows to live "
3
000 families
."
In addition, the closure of the factory would also have consequences on the Caledonian system: "
our social protection system would be in serious difficulty if we had all these unemployed people, who would suddenly no longer contribute either for the unemployment system or for health insurance
”, warns Sonia Backès.
The Vale company wants to get rid of this factory
because of the investment and maintenance expenses that the site requires, but also because of a "
not very welcoming environment
", according to the group, less than a month from now. 'a second referendum on the independence of New Caledonia.
"
We have every interest in keeping this factory afloat
"
A trade-in offer was on the table, but it fell through on Tuesday, September 8.
The Australian mining group New Century Resources (NCR) has announced, after more than three months of exclusive discussions, that it has given up buying the hydrometallurgical plant backing onto the fabulous Goro deposit, in the great south of Caledonia.
But the residents and the authorities are not letting go.
“
We do everything possible, we work with the company to try to find a buyer.
It's complicated to take the risk, but I think we have every interest in keeping this factory afloat.
We have several very interesting leads with international partners and battery producers.
We have partnerships with a number of international companies.
We are also working on employee participation and we are also working on the participation of Caledonians globally, in general,
”explains Sonia Backès.
On the side of the French state, "
three weeks before the referendum
", the file is being followed "
very closely
", said the entourage of Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of Overseas.
"
We are worried about the 3,000 jobs threatened,
" he added, adding that the State supported the search for a buyer.
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