NICKEL producer LionOre Mining International has announced plans to expand production at its 80 per cent-owned Black Swan nickel project near Kalgoorlie. The $69 million expansion will increase production at the mine by about 50 per cent to over 13,000 tonnes of nickel a year. Plant upgrade at the mine is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2006, LionOre said.The upgrade is expected to extend the life of the project to 2010. LionOre Australia managing director Mark Ashley said the expansion was in line with the company’s overall strategy of growth at competitive costs of production.