Philex eyes mining nickel in Pangasinan

FILE PHOTO: The Philex spillway around its improved tailings dam. – Pangilinan-led Philex Mining Corp. is planning to harness nickel in Pangasinan province as it hopes to expand its footprint. INQUIRER FILES

Pangilinan-led Philex Mining Corp. is planning to harness nickel in Pangasinan province as it hopes to expand its footprint.

Philex Mining president and CEO Eulalio Austin Jr. said they have an application to explore a nickel tenement adjacent to the firm’s site in Zambales.

“We have an application there that was sleeping for so long in Pangasinan,” Austin said on the sidelines of a mining forum on Thursday.

The company executive, however, did not disclose the specific area or the size of the proposed nickel mine site.

READ: Philex Mining’s H1 profit plunges by 42%

Aside from prospects in Pangasinan, the listed firm has set its sights on another nickel mining project in Zambales.

Philex Mining previously said it was exploring the mining properties of Macawiwili Gold Mining and Development Company Inc. (MGMDCI) and Lumiere Mining Inc. (LMI) as well as its nickel property in Zambales.

MGMDCI owns a mining property near Philex Mining’s Padcal mine in Benguet province. LMI has a copper gold mine in Zambales, which was closed during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.

READ: Philex to continue Padcal operations if gold prices remain stable

Austin said the technical evaluation on the nickel tenement in Zambales was “still ongoing” and they hoped to complete the evaluation process by next year.

He also said Philex Mining was targeting the “soft launch” of the Silangan copper and gold project in Surigao del Norte province by 2025 and the full commercial operations the following year.

Although the mining company is exploring ways to expedite the Silangan project’s completion, they encountered challenges in delivering the needed equipment for the mining site.