Empress Nickel Refinery
Location: Kadoma, Zimbabwe
RioBaseMetals is comprised solely of the Empress Nickel Refinery, which it owns outright. The ENR operation is symbolic of RioZim’s journey from inception in 1956. The company initially started as a nickel and copper refinery and grew steadily with the purchase of the Cam and Motor mine in 1959, and the Sandawana Emerald mine in 1961, establishing itself as a major operator in the country. In 1964 the company’s attentions returned to the ENR body when nickel prices firmed and in 1967 the company produced the first nickel refined on a commercial basis in the country.