After the management was not able to convince the Dominican people that mining in Loma Miranda was a good thing, Falconbridge Dominicana nickel company has gradually been retreating. The situation got so bad that employees had to wait weeks to receive their extra Christmas wages.
Diario Libre reports on the many ups and downs of the ferronickel mining plant. It makes the point that the present shutdown is not the first. The company, when operating as a Glencore Canada Corporation division, shut down operations when the prices of nickel dropped in 1990-91, 2001, and 2008.
In 2015, the company was transferred to American Nickel Limited and metallurgical engineer Ioannis Moutafis was sent as chief executive. The company concentrated on efforts to get the permits to exploit Loma Miranda deposits. Eventually, Loma Miranda was declared a protected area. At the end of last year, Moutafis resigned and left the country.
A report sent by the company to the Ministry of Mines explains that the drop of 40% in the price of ferronckel has affected the company.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
El Dia
El Caribe
23 January 2024