The Philippine Online Chronicles

After a hiatus last year, Atlas Consolidated Mining Corp. plans to re-open the Berong nickel mining project in Quezon, Palawan.

The announcement came after the mining firm succumbed to low metal prices and a “soft demand” for nickel which resulted in Berong's closure and a massive layoff of 600 workers.

“The interest in nickel is starting [to go up] again... Hopefully, we will be mining again soon,” said Atlas Consolidated chair Alfredo Ramos in a Business World interview.

Atlas Consolidated executive vice-president Martin Buckingham added that the Berong nickel mine still has 275 million metric tons of nickel ore that are ready for extraction and that the company may end up with “strategic partners” in continuing its operations by “sharing technical information” with European Nickel Corp. Toledo Mining Corp. is the third company venturing on the Berong nickel mine.

Meanwhile, environmental activist network Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) slammed mining projects in Palawan early this year. ATM's Msgr. Jerry Bitoon said that “irresponsible mining” in Palawan has “long-term” and “irreversible” effects on the environment, while Italian anthropologist David Novellino has initiated a signature campaign in Europe towards stopping “irresponsible mining” in Palawan.

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