18 Aug 2006

New Caledonia's Goro company upbeat about scientists' report

3:35 pm on 18 August 2006

The New Caledonian Goro Nickel company says it feels positive about the preliminary findings of the independent environmental impact study on the project.

French scientists are currently conducting an independent environmental impact study on the two-billion US dollar project and have released further preliminary results this week.

Goro Nickel's spokesperson, Catherine Guillaume, says the findings are helpful.

"They pointed out a few things that we need to improve. So that is what we are working on and what we are trying to improve together. That is the idea of this contract expertise to help us improving. For example the decision aspect was a full, an interactive collaboration between the experts, Goro Nickel and the designer."

Ms Guillaume says Goro will implement all the guidelines the researchers advise them to and the company sees no need to stop its work.

But Kanak Rheebu Nuu and Caugern groups are still calling for a stop to the Goro Nickel project by September 24th or they say they will take action.