The Indonesian government has revoked the mining permits of four nickel companies in the ecologically fragile Raja Ampat archipelago, a UNESCO Global Geopark renowned for its marine biodiversity. The decision, announced by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, follows a high-profile public campaign by Greenpeace Indonesia that exposed significant environmental damage from mining activities....
READ MOREThe Indonesian Nickel Miners Association has received government approval to establish a domestic metal exchange targeting a first-half 2026 launch, as the world’s largest nickel producer seeks greater influence over global pricing after nickel ended 2024 at four-year lows. The exchange will initially focus on nickel pig iron futures contracts before expanding to other nickel...
READ MOREAnne Oxley, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Brazilian Nickel, has been elected Chairperson of the Nickel Institute, the global trade association representing leading nickel producers worldwide. The appointment, announced on June 3, 2025, positions Oxley to lead the industry’s efforts in promoting responsible nickel production and supporting the metal’s role in the transition to...
READ MOREVale, Brazil’s largest mining company and a major global iron ore and nickel producer, and Brazil’s National Electric System Operator, the country’s power grid management authority, have reached an impasse over electricity allocation that threatens a $555 million nickel expansion project. ONS rejected Vale’s request to increase power consumption to 200 megawatts at its Onca...
READ MOREIn Hachinohe, Japan, representatives from major metals traders and manufacturers—including Mitsubishi, Glencore, and Panasonic Energy—recently gathered at a nickel plant to examine samples of deep-sea ore retrieved from the Pacific Ocean floor. The event, organized by Canadian mining company The Metals Company (TMC), showcased materials collected from about 4,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. Attendees...
READ MORECurrent Nickel Price Trends The nickel market has seen significant volatility in recent months. As of early 2025, nickel prices have recovered slightly from the sharp downturn experienced in mid-2023, driven by oversupply and subdued demand in China. Benchmark prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) have hovered around $16,000 to $17,500 per metric ton...
READ MORESumitomo Metal Mining has outlined its expectations for the global nickel and copper markets in its 2027 three-year business plan, forecasting continued surpluses in both metals through at least 2026. The company anticipates a nickel market surplus of around 200,000 tons annually in both 2025 and 2026, driven primarily by ongoing production growth in China...
READ MOREGlobal nickel production overview Nickel plays a pivotal role in modern industry, especially as a key component in stainless steel and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). In 2024, global nickel production was around 3.0 million metric tons, driven by demand from China and accelerating EV adoption. Indonesia leads the world in nickel output, accounting for...
READ MOREWestwin Elements is moving ahead with plans to build the first nickel refinery in the United States, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources of the metal. The refinery, to be located in Lawton, Oklahoma, is expected to scale up to 64,000 metric tons of annual capacity. In January, the project received a...
READ MORERefined nickel production in China reached 36,250 tonnes in April, up 6% from March and 47% higher year-on-year, according to data from Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). Over the first four months of 2025, total output rose to 131,000 tonnes, marking a 31.7% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The rise in refined nickel...
READ MOREIndonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara and French mining company Eramet are in advanced discussions to acquire a stake in a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) nickel plant located in the Weda Bay Industrial Park, North Maluku. The facility, majority owned by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, produces battery-grade nickel essential for electric vehicles. If finalized, this would...
READ MOREAs industries accelerate efforts to decarbonize, nickel’s role in batteries and stainless steel has become increasingly vital. However, conventional nickel production is highly carbon-intensive, emitting about 20 tons of CO₂ for every ton of nickel produced. With global demand for nickel expected to double by 2040, largely due to electrification in transport and infrastructure, the...
READ MOREThe International Nickel Study Group (INSG) has forecast a global nickel market surplus of 198,000 metric tons for 2025, marking the third consecutive year of oversupply as production continues to outpace demand. The group projects global primary nickel production will reach 3.735 million tons this year, while usage is expected to total 3.537 million tons....
READ MOREThe global nickel niobium market, valued at $1.4 billion in 2024, is forecast to grow to $2.5 billion by 2034, according to recent industry analysis. This growth, at an annual rate of 6.2% from 2025 to 2034, is being driven by increased use of nickel niobium alloys in high-performance applications across aerospace, defense, automotive, and...
READ MORENornickel, one of the world’s largest producers of nickel and palladium, maintained stable production in the first quarter of 2025, with only marginal declines in most key metals despite persistent headwinds in the global metals market. The company reported a 1.1% year-on-year decrease in nickel output to 41.6 thousand tonnes, a 0.4% dip in copper...
READ MOREQuesTek Innovations and Stoke Space have developed a novel nickel-based superalloy tailored for additive manufacturing and extreme high-pressure, high-temperature oxygen environments—an achievement critical to enabling fully reusable space launch systems. The alloy, designed using QuesTek’s ICMD digital materials engineering platform, has been qualified for use and meets all targeted performance benchmarks. It is engineered to...
READ MORETurkish billionaire Robert Yuksel Yildirim is embarking on an ambitious $2 billion campaign to acquire nickel mines worldwide, positioning his new venture, CoreX Holding, to benefit from a future rebound in nickel prices and to offer Western buyers an alternative to Chinese-dominated supply chains. Yildirim, who previously built his fortune in chrome and shipping through...
READ MOREIndonesia has enacted a new royalty framework for metal producers, linking levies to commodity prices in a bid to boost state revenue for key government initiatives. The updated rules were outlined in a regulation document issued on April 11 and take effect 15 days after registration. Under the changes, the previous fixed 10% royalty on...
READ MORESeveral South Korean battery companies are postponing or abandoning joint projects with Chinese partners, as geopolitical risks and shifting market dynamics reshape industry strategies. LG Energy Solution has delayed its planned battery recycling venture with Huayou Cobalt, China’s top cobalt producer. The project, intended to include pre-processing and post-processing facilities in Nanjing and Quzhou, was...
READ MORESingapore’s three major banks—OCBC, UOB, and DBS—are under scrutiny for their financing of Indonesia’s Harita Nickel, a mining company whose smelting and refining operations rely heavily on coal-powered captive plants. Environmental advocacy group Market Forces flagged the banks for providing loans to Harita despite their pledges not to finance new coal-fired power plants. OCBC tops...
READ MORECanada Nickel Company is making significant progress on its Crawford Nickel Project, a proposed open-pit, zero-emission mine located 40 kilometers north of Timmins, Ontario. CEO Mark Selby emphasized at the recent State of Mining event in Timmins that 2025 will be pivotal as the company focuses on finalizing permits, securing funding, and selecting sites for...
READ MOREPanasonic Energy has introduced a closed-loop recycling program for nickel used in lithium-ion battery cathodes, partnering with Sumitomo Metal Mining. The initiative, which repurposes battery scrap into new battery materials, marks Panasonic Energy’s first such recycling scheme in its automotive battery production in Japan. Under the agreement, nickel scrap from Panasonic Energy’s Suminoe Factory in...
READ MOREEcoPro Materials, a precursor production subsidiary of EcoPro Group, has secured $297 million (KRW 400 billion) in investment to expand into the nickel smelting industry in Indonesia. The company has secured a total of $288 million (KRW 389 billion) through a third-party allotment capital increase. The majority of the funds will be used to acquire...
READ MOREBelgian metals recycling company Umicore announced plans to reduce its capital expenditure by €1.4 billion ($1.51 billion) between 2025 and 2028, bringing total investments down to €1.6 billion. The company’s battery cathode materials division will bear the brunt of these cuts, with €800 million slashed from its budget due to weaker-than-expected electric vehicle (EV) sales...
READ MORE
