Is HudBay's Fenix an albatross?--BIG NICKEL PROJECT COMES WITH HEFTY COSTS, LOCAL OPPOSITION

摘要

Canadian miner HudBay Minerals (HBM-T, HBMFF-O) picked a challenge when it chose to go international last year, taking on one of Central America's most testing community conflicts at the Fenix nickel project in Guatemala. A man was killed in clashes over land rights at the site in September, so developing nickel reserves looks like the easy part. But Toronto-based HudBay is upbeat and aims to make a decision on the project on the shores of Lake Izabal by June 2010, eager to make the most of Fenix's big reserves. The 19,000-acre area hosts 41.4 million tonnes of mineral reserves and the potential to produce 50 million lbs. of nickel per year over 30 years, the company says.