MacroAsia gets DENR permit to operate Infanta nickel mine

Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp. on Monday got a key government permit that brought the firm a step closer to reviving a nickel mine in Southern Palawan. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, MacroAsia said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has released its Environmental Compliance Certificate for the Infanta nickel project. MacroAsia, however, still needs a declaration of mining feasibility before it can start operating the Infanta mine. The mine site is 1,114 hectares and is estimated to have 88.36 million dry metric tons of mineral resources. The company said it hopes to acquire the declaration within the year. The Infanta nickel project is the company’s tenement under a mineral production sharing agreement with the government. In the 1970’s, MacroAsia, then known as Infanta Mineral and Industrial Corp., operated the mine as an export producer of beneficiated nickel laterite. At present, MacroAsia generates the bulk of its revenue from core businesses that include support services to airline operators such as aircraft maintenance and repairs, in- flight catering, charter flights and ground handling services. MacroAsia’s subsidiaries and affiliates include MacroAsia Air Taxi Services Inc., MacroAsia Properties Development Corp., MacroAsia Catering Services Inc., MacroAsia Airport Services Corp., MacroAsia Mining Corp., Lufthansa Technik Philippines Inc., Cebu Pacific Catering Services Inc., and Toll-MacroAsia Philippines Inc. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV