Monsenor Nouel Province
Hosts Falcondo ferronickel mine (primary metallic mining since 1972); Bonao produces 80% rice locally; Cerro de Maimón copper/zinc now underground.
Monseñor Nouel Province hosts Falconbridge Dominicana's ferronickel operations—the Dominican Republic's primary metallic mining activity. The Falcondo mine, 80km southwest of Santo Domingo, began production in 1972 and operates across 2,000 hectares with laterite nickel deposits developed over serpentinized ultramafic rocks. The plant produces 32% nickel in ferronickel (roughly 30,000 MT of contained nickel annually), making the province the country's mining heartland alongside neighboring Sánchez Ramírez.
Bonao, the provincial capital, functions as a company town where mining income shapes the local economy. But agriculture persists: 80% of local farms grow rice, with coffee and cocoa filling the remainder. Hanesbrands, Dos Rios Textiles, and Bonao Industrial provide manufacturing employment. In March 2021, the Cerro de Maimón copper and zinc mine transitioned from open-pit to underground operations, diversifying beyond nickel. The province even hosts the Caribbean's first synthesis gas plant, converting agricultural waste into energy.
By 2026, Monseñor Nouel will test whether mining wealth translates to diversified development. If ferronickel prices remain strong and agricultural processing expands, the province could build an industrial cluster. If commodity cycles turn or environmental costs mount, the dependence on extraction that defined colonial economies may persist in modern form.