In March 2007 Oriel commissioned Baran to carry out a technical and economic assessment of process options available for a nickel production facility at Shevchenko. Baran reviewed the following options:

1. Ferronickel (“FeNi”) production using the conventional Rotary Kiln Electric Arc Furnace (RKEF) process design and compared to the Direct Current (“DC”) arc furnace flow sheet used in the feasibility study of December 2005 compiled by Bateman Minerals and Metals, South Africa, (“Bateman”).
2. Atmospheric tank leaching based on a process flow sheet developed by Oriel’s hydrometallurgical consultants (in collaboration with Oriel) as well as extensive bench-scale test work at Mintek, South Africa. The selected flowsheet incorporated “tried and tested” conventional unit operations developed in similar projects and the process design was developed by Hydromet, South Africa with detailed modelling by Dr Mike Dry, Canada.
3. Heap leach based on the technical knowledge of and extensive pilot column test work at Mintek and preliminary engineering design and costing study of a heap leach plant by GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants Ltd, UK (“GBM”).

High Pressure Acid leach (“HPAL”) technology was not considered as Shevchenko laterite ores display favourable leach kinetics at low process intensity and due to the high capital costs, operating complexities and other well publicised problems experienced at existing operations.