Canadian company Sherritt International Corp announced Tuesday that it plans to stop operations at its nickel and cobalt mine in Cuba due to fuel shortages on the Caribbean island. Toronto-based Sherritt said in a statement which has reduced the operations of its joint venture in Moa, Cuba, and plans to suspend all mining operations in the area over the next week.
The company stated that it had been notified that planned fuel supplies to Moa would not be met and that it was unknown when they would resume.. Moa’s joint venture with General Nickel Company SA of Cuba supplies nickel and cobalt to the Sherritt refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, with a total production capacity of 38,200 tonnes per year.
The interruption of operations on the island will not immediately affect the Fort Saskatchewan refinery, as it has stocks until mid-April. Sherritt is studying options to maintain operations at both Moa and Fort Saskatchewan.
Its one-third stake in the energy company Cuban Energas SA is not affected, according to the company. Energas supplies electricity from natural gas to Cuba’s electrical grid, which powers Moa. Fuel supplies to the island have been disrupted since the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January. Venezuela was the island’s main oil supplier and Washington has since threatened to impose tariffs on other countries that supply fuel to Cuba.
