Construction at the New Caledonian Goro Nickel site is under way but a strong local police contingent is guarding the site non-stop.
The company resumed work late last month after it had to shut down all operations for about three weeks in response to vandalism by Kanak activists who are against aspects of the project.
Our correspondent, Tuo Chinula, says Goro Nickel's construction effort is now nearly back to its former level with 1,500 out of 1,700 workers on site.
But she says the renewed activity is going ahead only with the support of gendarmes.
"There are over a hundered gendarmes who are guarding the site 24 hours a day. So there is a lot of security there."
Tuo Chinula says extra security checks on some installations outside the construction site are needed before work can be resumed there, such as a 38 kilometre pipeline that is to provide water to the site.
