• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 04 / 10 / 2011

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HAVANA, April 9 (NNN-Prensa Latina): Cuba is making technological tests of nickel byproducts, and will develop projects for their processing, revealed Ivan Martinez Leyet, deputy minister for the basic industry and representative to the Cuban Geology Society.

The technological tests to process byproducts of the nickel industry will be jointly developed with a Russian firm.

Those byproducts contain high levels of iron, cobalt, chromium, and a sort of platinum that could be exploited. Some technologies are being applied through joint ventures, and the investment for a processing plant is expected to be ready within two years, said Martinez this weekend.

With the operation of the processing plant by 2014, nickel production would increase, thus reaffirming Cuba as one of the leading nickel producing countries.

Nickel is an important source of income for Cuba. The industry is expected to contribute resources for more than 50 years, Martinez added at the fourth Cuban Geoscience 2011 Convention.-NNN-PRENSA LATINA

Source: //www.namnewsnetwork.org/v2/