From its mine in Brooke’s Point, Palawan, the Global Ferronickel Holdings, Inc. affiliate Ipilan Nickel Corp. has completed its first shipment of nickel ore export to China according to its listing in the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Ipilan Nickel based in the south of Palawan in Brooke’s Point, exported a total of 54,700 wet metric tons (WMT) of medium-grade nickel ore to Guangdong Century Tsingshan Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. in China (GCTN).

The production target for the year is 500,000 WMT within its 2,835 hectares under its mineral sharing agreement with the government for exploration, development and utilization for commercial purposes of nickel and other mineral deposits.

With an annual production rate of 1.5 million WMT of medium-to-high-grade nickel ores, the mine is estimated to last at least 10 years.

Global Ferronickel Chairman Joseph C. Sy said, “after years of careful planning and regulatory compliance, this inaugural shipment is a remarkable milestone for our group and bodes well for the country’s economic and social governance goals at this critical time.”

Despite protests and complaints from the local population, Ipilan Nickel said it is also planning to implement projects that will support education, wellness, and livelihood development with infrastructure focused on establishment of mini-hyrdro power plant and farm-to-market roads.

Ipilan Nickel is owned by Southeast Palawan Nickel Ventures, Inc., an associate of Global Ferronickel which saw its revenue in the second quarter dropped by 16.2% to Power P615.58 million from P734.56 million in the previous year.