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Nickel

Nickel is a silvery-white metallic element and critical industrial commodity used primarily in stainless steel production, battery manufacturing and metal alloys. The metal accounts for approximately two-thirds of global nickel consumption through its role in stainless steel, where it imparts corrosion resistance and strength. Nickel is increasingly significant in the energy transition as a key component in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, particularly in nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode chemistries. Major nickel-producing countries include Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia, New Caledonia and Australia, with Indonesia dominating global supply through laterite ore deposits. The metal is extracted through mining of sulphide and laterite ores, followed by various refining processes including pyrometallurgical smelting, hydrometallurgical leaching and electrorefining to produce refined nickel suitable for industrial use. Nickel prices are traded on the London Metal Exchange and are subject to volatility driven by stainless steel demand from China, battery sector growth and supply constraints. The metal is classified as a critical mineral by several jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, owing to its strategic importance in clean energy technologies and industrial applications. Demand for high-purity nickel suitable for battery applications is projected to grow substantially as electrification accelerates, prompting investment in new refining capacity and technologies. Nickel was first isolated as a pure element in the eighteenth century and has been commercially produced since the nineteenth century, with large-scale industrial use expanding alongside stainless steel development in the early twentieth century.

Nickel News


Botswana Minerals chairperson John Teeling
AI review uncovers historic copper mineralisation targets for Botswana Minerals
30th June 2026 By: Lumkile Nkomfe

Aim-listed Botswana Minerals has announced that an AI-driven review of legacy geological records identified primary copper sulphide and altered copper minerals in historical drill cores from holes... 


McCreedy West mine
Magna Mining reaches new quarterly tonnage record at McCreedy West
30th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

TSX-listed copper, nickel and platinum group metals producer Magna Mining has achieved record quarterly tonnage at the McCreedy West mine, in Sudbury, Ontario. The mine shipped 91 724 t of ore from... 


China's national flag
China accelerates plans for sulphur futures as Iran war amplifies price swings, sources say
29th June 2026 By: Reuters

China is planning to launch its first sulphur futures contracts this year, sources said, in a push to help hedge against price swings and increase its pricing power in the global trade for a key... 


Sherritt's nickel/cobalt joint venture operation in Cuba
Sherritt warns of going-concern risk after Trump expands Cuba sanctions
26th June 2026 By: Bloomberg

A Canadian miner that is one of Cuba’s biggest foreign investors warned investors that its ability to carry on as a going concern is in doubt after Donald Trump expanded US sanctions on the... 


PT Gunbuster Nickel, in Indonesia
Major Indonesian nickel smelter enters court-ordered debt halt
25th June 2026 By: Bloomberg

One of Indonesia’s largest nickel smelters has been placed under a temporary debt suspension by a local court, as the Southeast Asian nation’s industry grapples with ore shortages and low metal... 


Danakali project map in Australia
Danakali expects assays on four projects by August
25th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

National Stock Exchange of Australia-listed Danakali has completed field reconnaissance and soil sampling across four of its projects in the Gascoyne and Murchison regions, with additional sampling... 


Vedanta's aluminium smelter in India
Vedanta completes historic demerger, lists four new companies in India
25th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Global diversified miner Vedanta Group has passed a defining milestone in Indian corporate history with the successful listing of four newly demerged companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange and... 


Nickel smelting
Indonesia has not yet set full-year 2026 nickel quota, ministry says
25th June 2026 By: Reuters

Indonesia has not decided its nickel production quota for the entirety of 2026, the country's mining ministry said on Thursday, amid speculation that the quota would be increased. The government... 


CatD10Dozer
Epiroc, RCT ensure safe transition to openpit mining at nickel operation in Canada
24th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Mine services company Epiroc, using technology from Remote Control Technologies (RCT), played an integral part in the reopening of a prominent Canadian nickel mine as it moved to openpit mining... 


Nickel Industries is invested in the Huayue nickel/cobalt HPAL project, in Indonesia
Australia's Nickel Industries secures more exposure key EV battery feedstock
24th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

ASX-listed Nickel Industries has taken another significant step in its strategy to expand its exposure to the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain, agreeing to invest $169-million for a 17.5%... 


Sherritt's nickel and cobalt refinery in Alberta
Sherritt confirms Alberta refinery is shutting down for now
23rd June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

TSX-listed nickel and cobalt producer Sherritt International Corporation has started to shut down operations at its refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The transition aligns with the... 


Rare earths drill core
EU courts Brazil as strategic partner in global race for critical minerals
22nd June 2026 By: Reuters

The EU is turning to Brazil as a strategic partner in its push to diversify its critical mineral supplies, offering a deal that it says will be beneficial to Brazil's development goals, EU... 


The above image depicts a water treatment facility at a copper mine in Chile
Minerals frame S America development tools
19th June 2026

As critical minerals become increasingly central to global industrial strategy, a growing divergence is emerging between how major economies and leading South American mineral-producing nations are... 


Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
New cadastre processing W Cape mining licence applications, Parliament hears
19th June 2026 By: Martin Creamer

The phased rollout of the new online mining licensing system – the cadastre – is progressing steadily, with Western Cape applications being received and processed online, Parliament was informed on... 


Mr Marion lithium mine
China exchange to open lithium futures to overseas traders from July 3
18th June 2026 By: Reuters

China's Guangzhou Futures Exchange said on Thursday that its lithium carbonate futures and options would be opened to overseas traders from July 3. The opening up of the lithium contract, which... 


Kenya President William Ruto
Kenya, US close in on critical minerals deal, Ruto says
18th June 2026 By: Reuters

Kenya is close to sealing a critical minerals deal with the U.S. under which it would process its own resources domestically, its president said on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Thursday,... 


A mine in the DRC
Critical minerals are reshaping global trade as demand surges – Unctad
12th June 2026 By: Schalk Burger

As the global economy shifts towards cleaner energy systems, electrification and digital technologies, more countries are competing for access to critical minerals. Clean technologies will account... 


Blasting at a coal mine in Russia
India explores Russian coking coal assets, more nickel supplies, sources say
12th June 2026 By: Reuters

India's State-owned Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and NMDC are exploring acquisitions of coking coal assets in Russia as New Delhi seeks to secure supplies of critical raw materials, Indian... 


The Ambatovy mine
Madagascan miner Ambatovy resumes nickel production after cyclone
11th June 2026 By: Reuters

Madagascan miner Ambatovy plans to produce 2 500 metric tons of nickel in June as it is restarting production after a cyclone hit it in February, the company told Reuters on Thursday. Cobalt... 


Molten copper
BMI expects mining to become more decarbonised and competitive by 2050
10th June 2026 By: Schalk Burger

Market research firm BMI expects decarbonisation to move to the top of the mining sector's agenda, that AI will become a foundational feature of the global metals and mining sector, that structural... 


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pqt: 0.107s - ct: 0.164s - 275pq - 2rq
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