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“New Caledonia is perceived as a country that contributes to the fight against global warming through exploiting its ore,” regional president Louis Mapou said in an interview. “We have very high production costs in New Caledonia, it’s true but we respect human rights, we respect local people’s rights and we respect the environment.”
Even with the railings in place, natural resource extraction remains a sensitive issue in New Caledonia. Nickel prices have risen nearly 25 percent this year, reflecting the mineral’s importance in the campaign to move away from fossil fuels. But so far this has not yielded any more profits for miners.
Goro’s previous owner, Brazilian mining giant Vale, was desperate to get out of the mine. Tensions over who will buy the nickel processing plant sparked protests that forced Goro to shut down for months, the kind of supply chain disruption that could prove disastrous for Tesla. The conflict also triggered the fall of the New Caledonian government earlier this year.
Mr. Mapou, who came to power after the Goro conflict and was the region’s first Kanak president, said: “In the history of nickel in New Caledonia, there is a war between the multinational and the local people, and there is also a colonial history.” “We have a compromise with Tesla, with the new ownership, that makes it possible to open the Goro factory, but it remains fragile.”
battle lines
The coastal road to Goro winds past a colorful coral-lined bay, strewn with charred cars. Dozens of burned vehicles are the remnants of the months-long struggle that left the mine empty and led to the collapse of the New Caledonian government in February. And it’s an instinctive reminder of the tense politics that could hamper Tesla’s efforts to secure a steady supply of nickel.
André Vama was one of hundreds of Kanaks who barricaded the road with burning tires and vehicles this year and stifled the mine’s operations.
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