Ambatovy Nickel Mine
One of the world's largest laterite nickel mines, producing battery-grade nickel and cobalt in Madagascar.
Ambatovy is a large-scale laterite nickel and cobalt mining and processing operation in eastern Madagascar. The project involves an open-pit mine near Moramanga and a hydrometallurgical processing plant near Toamasina, connected by a 220 km slurry pipeline. It is majority-owned by Sumitomo Corporation and Korean consortium partners. With a design capacity of 60,000 tonnes of refined nickel and 5,600 tonnes of cobalt per year, Ambatovy is one of the largest laterite nickel operations outside of Indonesia and the Philippines.
- 01Produce approximately 60,000 tonnes of refined nickel annually
- 02Produce approximately 5,600 tonnes of refined cobalt annually
- 03Operate a fully integrated mine-to-metal laterite nickel processing operation
- 04Supply battery-grade nickel and cobalt briquettes to global markets
- 05Implement world-class environmental management in a biodiversity hotspot
- 06Support Madagascar's economic development as the country's largest industrial project
2007 · completed
Construction Begins
Full-scale construction of the mine, pipeline, and processing plant commenced.
2012 · completed
First Production
Ambatovy produced its first nickel and cobalt briquettes in January 2012.
2014 · completed
Ramp-Up Challenges
The operation faced technical challenges in ramping up the HPAL plant to design capacity.
2019 · completed
Production Improvement
Sustained production improvements brought output closer to nameplate capacity.
2022 · completed
Ownership Restructuring
Sherritt International sold its 12% stake, with Sumitomo Corporation becoming the majority owner.
2025 · in progress
Steady Operations
Operations continue targeting improved throughput and nickel supply for the growing battery market.
Mineral Resource
Laterite Nickel Resource
Ore reserves supporting a mine life of over 25 years with approximately 125 million tonnes of laterite ore.
Processing Plant
HPAL Processing Plant
A high-pressure acid leach plant near Toamasina capable of processing up to 5.5 Mtpa of ore.
Transport Infrastructure
Slurry Pipeline
A 220 km pipeline transporting ore slurry from the mine near Moramanga to the coastal processing plant.
Port Infrastructure
Toamasina Port Facility
Product export facility at the port of Toamasina for shipping nickel and cobalt briquettes globally.
- Open-pit laterite ore mining with hydraulic excavators
- 220 km ore slurry pipeline from mine to plant
- High-pressure acid leach (HPAL) hydrometallurgical processing
- Solvent extraction and electrowinning for nickel and cobalt
- Tailings storage with submarine-style deep disposal study
- Biodiversity offset program protecting 6,800 hectares of forest
What it means for the community
Ambatovy is Madagascar's largest foreign direct investment, with total project costs exceeding $8 billion. It employs approximately 4,000 Malagasy workers and supports thousands more through contractors and suppliers. The project has invested over $150 million in community development and environmental conservation, including a pioneering biodiversity offset program to protect endangered lemur species and rainforest habitat.
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- Sumitomo Corporation (majority)
- Korean consortium partners
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