Madagascan miner Ambatovy resumes nickel production after cyclone

Madagascan miner Ambatovy plans to produce 2,500 metric tons of nickel in June as it is restarting production after a cyclone hit it in February, the company told Reuters on Thursday.

Cobalt production is expected at around 250 tons this month, Ambatovy added.

Ambatovy restarted one acid plant on May 23 and plans to start the second one by the end of June, Ambatovy’s chief executive Trevor Naidoo said in a post on social media.

The miner’s current shareholder, Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation (KOMIR), and Japanese trading house Sumitomo, which sold its 54% stake to a group of investors in May, provided the funding to Ambatovy for the rebuild after the cyclone, he added.

Ambatovy produces nickel and cobalt briquettes. Its production was at around 29,000 tons of nickel and 2,700 tons of cobalt in 2025.

(By Polina Devitt and Pratima Desai; Editing by Louise Heavens)