Last year Loesche Latinoamericana SAU signed a contract that Societe Le Nickel (SLN) integrated into ERAMET group. This contract considers the design and delivery of a new coal grinding plant to be installed in the nickel production plant already operating in Nouméa, New Caledonia.

Le Nickel-SLN selected the vertical mill technology of Loesche for the preparation and coal injection into their kiln burners used for nickel mineral drying.

Loesche will supply the whole coal grinding plant, from trucks receiving hopper up to the existing fine coal storage silos and two silos to feed the ATEC GRECO Flexigen® hot gas generators of 53MW each.

The heart of this coal grinding plant will be a Loesche vertical roller mill of the type LM 27.2 D capable to produce 42t per hour at 15% R 90 microns. The gearbox will have a power of 530kW and the integrated Flexigen® hot gas generator, which will be delivered by ATEC GRECO, will have a capacity of 7MW.

The scope of supply of Loesche also considers all mechanical equipment, transports, silos, hot gas generator for the mill itself, the electrical equipment, motors, instrumentation as well as detail mechanical and electrical engineering.

Loesche Latinoamericana SAU is managing this project, which is now being delivered. Loesche will carry out the installation supervision and will be fully responsible of the commissioning of the plant planned for the end of the year.