SYDNEY, Nov 2 (Reuters) - New Caledonia nickel producer Societe Le Nickel, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Eramet ERMT.PA , on Wednesday said a series of explosions at a smelter had temporarily disrupted output earlier this week.
SLN spokesman Olivier Beligon said one of the Doniambo nickel smelter's three furnaces was shut for 24 hours after the explosions caused a leak and staff were evacuated.
"The furnace started to resume operations yesterday and we are now back to normal," Beligon said by telephone from New Caledonia's capital Noumea, adding that specifics on lost production were not yet available.
The SNL smelter in Noumea is a leading world supplier of ferronickel, used to make stainless steel. SNL has forecast production of around 53,000 tonnes of nickel this year, or 5 percent of total global output.
New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory, holds around a quarter of the world's reserves of nickel. Two other smelters are owned by Glencore GLEN.L and Vale VALE5.SA .