Brazil-based Horizonte Minerals Plc awarded the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) contract to Snowden Mining Industry Consultants for its Araguaia nickel project. As lead contractor, Snowden is expected to manage third-party consulting groups and deliver the PFS in 2014. The work involves refining the technical and economic issues surrounding the project, and to determine if the project is viable.

Horizonte owns the Araguaia nickel project located in the Carajas district of Brazil. The company has already done extensive work at Araguaia. They have already drilled deep to define a NI 43-101 compliant resource. Horizonte has also finished a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) that gave promising results, as well as performed metallurgical testwork that authenticated the suitability of the treatment process for the production of saleable nickel.

Jeremy Martin, CEO for Horizonte, is delighted with the awarding of the PFS to Snowden Mining Industry Consultants. "The completion of the PFS will be another step to de-risking our 100% owned flagship project and highlighting Araguaia's financial and technical merits as the next potential major nickel development project in Brazil," he added.