Nickel

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 23 janvier 2016 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 18#p385418

La mine ne Nickel de Ambatovy à Madagascar est en perte et procure des pertes à Sumitomo qui la possède à 54 %.

Madagascar’s Ambatovy nickel project companies file restructuring plan

Reuters | August 28, 2024


Ambatovy project, Madagascar. Image source: Ambatovy Minerals

Madagascar’s Ambatovy nickel project companies filed a debt restructuring plan with an court in London on Wednesday, a spokesperson at the project’s major shareholder Sumitomo Corp said.


Sumitomo owns a 54.2% stake in the project companies – Ambatovy Minerals, a mining company, and Dynatec Madagascar, a refining company – while the remaining stake is held by Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources.

The filing is part of their effort to ensure the stable and efficient operation of the project, not a liquidation process, the spokesperson told Reuters.

The spokesperson did not provide details of the debt restructuring plan and future plans for the project, saying “we are still considering all options.”

The Japanese trading house has been struggling to stabilize production and improve profitability at the Ambatovy project, which launched in 2005.

In May, Sumitomo CEO Shingo Ueno said that the company will consider all possible options to decide the best future policy of the Ambatovy project for all stakeholders.

Asked whether a withdrawal was among the options, Ueno said at the time that Sumitomo’s immediate priority is to bring back nickel production to normal levels by fixing glitches at the plant.

The project produced about 8,000 metric tons of nickel during the April-June quarter, down from about 10,000 tons a year earlier, Sumitomo said in July. It expects an annual production of around 35,000 tons for the year to March 31.

Sumitomo booked an impairment loss of 89 billion yen ($616 million) on the project for the financial year ended March 31, reducing the project’s book value to zero.

The Ambatovy project has resulted in an accumulated loss of 410 billion yen for Sumitomo, including a total impairment loss of 265.5 billion yen to date, according to the spokesperson.

The Japanese company is still assessing the impact of Ambatovy’s latest debt restructuring plan on its earnings, the spokesperson said.

($1 = 144.4100 yen)

https://www.mining.com/web/madagascars- ... ring-plan/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 14 avril 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 7#p2389577

Canada Nickel may net $500m Ottawa loan for giant Crawford project

Colin McClelland - The Northern Miner | September 6, 2024 |

https://www.mining.com/canada-nickel-ma ... n-ontario/

[energy_isere]

Sibanye-Stillwater dévoile son plan de réorientation de la raffinerie de nickel de Sandouville vers les batteries

Le géant sud-africain Sibanye-Stillwater arrête l’activité historique de la raffinerie de nickel de Sandouville (Seine-Maritime), rachetée début 2022. Il prévoit de convertir l’usine vers la fabrication de précurseurs de matériaux de cathode (ou pCAM), un maillon critique de la chaîne de valeur des batteries électriques.

Nathan Mann 09 septembre 2024


La raffinerie de Sandouville va arrêter de produire du nickel de haute pureté pour se réorienter vers la production de précurseurs de matériaux actifs de cathode (pCAM), critiques pour l'industrie des batteries.

Vers un nouveau maillon de l’industrie des batteries électriques en France ? Près de trois ans après avoir racheté la raffinerie de nickel de Sandouville (Seine-Maritime) à Eramet, le géant des métaux du groupe platine sud-africain Sibanye-Stillwater a peaufiné son plan. La production historique de l’outil industriel, qui s’était monnayé 85 millions d’euros début 2022, sera interrompue vers mi-2025. Sibanye Stillwater mène en parallèle différents chantiers pour reconvertir le site en usine de production de précurseurs de matériaux actifs de cathode (ou pCAM). Des composants critiques dans la chaîne de valeur des batteries de véhicules électriques. Le montant d’investissement pour ce projet baptisé GalliCam (à six chiffres) n’est pas communiqué.

Victime métropolitaine de la crise du nickel
.... abonnés

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/s ... s.N2218097

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 6 aout 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 0#p2374890

Magna Mining PEA update hikes return five-fold for Crean Hill nickel project

By Blair McBride at the Northern Miner September 17, 2024

An updated preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for Magna Mining’s (TSXV: NICU; US-OTC: MGMNF) Crean Hill project near Sudbury, Ont. bumps its internal rate of return more than five times to 129% compared with the initial study last year.

The new PEA, released Tuesday, pegs pre-production cash costs for the nickel-copper-PGE project at $27.7 million, down from $81 million in the initial study, and gives the underground mine a base case post-tax net present value (at an 8% discount) of $194.1 million and a 13-year mine life.

“A low capital approach of establishing a new surface portal will provide quick access to the resource, allowing us to offset capital costs with early revenues,” Jeff Huffman, chief operating officer, said in a release. “The project timeline has been derisked by having environmental permits approved and in-hand, as well as more detailed stope planning and sequence optimization.”

The update comes just over one year after its predecessor and almost six months after Magna inked a toll-milling agreement with Vale (NYSE: VALE). It would send initial production from Crean Hill to Vale’s nearby Clarabelle mill.

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/n ... l-project/

[energy_isere]

Nickel market no longer afraid of losing Russian supply
Reuters | September 17, 2024

lire https://www.mining.com/web/column-nicke ... an-supply/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 31 aout 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 2#p2397622

Les États-Unis veulent fournir un prêt pour une usine de nickel en Tanzanie

Agence Ecofin 23 septembre 2024

D’ici 2035, 90 % de l’approvisionnement mondial en nickel ne sera pas couvert par les divers accords de libre-échange signés par les Etats-Unis, estime S&P. Une perspective qui incite Washington à diversifier ses sources d’approvisionnement pour ce métal essentiel à la transition énergétique.

La banque de développement des États-Unis (DFC) a transmis une lettre d’intérêt pour fournir des prêts dans le cadre du financement du projet de nickel Kabanga en Tanzanie. Incluant la construction d’une usine de production de nickel de qualité batterie, ce projet s’inscrit en effet dans la stratégie américaine de diversification de l’approvisionnement en minéraux critiques.

« Avec l’intérêt de la DFC pour Kabanga, le gouvernement américain reconnaît clairement le rôle essentiel que joue le développement durable des minéraux en Afrique dans la transition énergétique mondiale. L’annonce d’aujourd’hui renforce cette vision et met une fois de plus en évidence les relations étroites entre les États-Unis et la Tanzanie », indique dans un communiqué du 23 septembre, Chris Showalter, PDG de Lifezone Metals, la compagnie qui pilote le projet.

Selon l’Agence internationale de l’énergie (AIE), les usages liés à la transition énergétique (véhicules électriques, batteries de stockage d’énergie, etc.) ont représenté 15 % de la demande mondiale de nickel en 2023. Cette part devrait grimper à 36 % d’ici 2030, voire atteindre 50 %, en fonction de la rapidité avec laquelle la transition énergétique évolue dans le monde.

Aux États-Unis, la loi sur la réduction de l’inflation adoptée en 2022 (et prévoyant d’accélérer la transition énergétique dans le pays) devrait entrainer une demande de 14 % plus élevée que dans un scénario sans cette loi, estime le cabinet S&P Global. La même source précise que d’ici 2035, 90 % de l’approvisionnement mondial en nickel ne sera pas couvert par les différents accords de libre-échange signés par Washington.

L’Indonésie a ainsi fourni la moitié de la production minière de nickel dans le monde en 2023. L’Indonésie et la Chine représentent par ailleurs 65 % de la production mondiale de nickel raffiné, selon les estimations de l’AIE. Pour toutes ces raisons, les États-Unis se cherchent de nouveaux partenaires pour réduire les risques liés à l’approvisionnement en nickel. Dans le cas de la Tanzanie, la vice-présidente américaine Kamala Harris a indiqué en 2023 que le nickel de Kabanga approvisionnerait le marché américain dès 2026.

Une étude de faisabilité définitive attendue d’ici la fin de l’année, doit fournir des estimations détaillées sur l’investissement initial nécessaire pour ce projet, ainsi que sa capacité de production et sa durée de vie. Selon une évaluation publiée en 2021, le projet peut livrer 33 107 tonnes de nickel raffiné par an, mais aussi quelques milliers de tonnes de cuivre et de cobalt, métaux essentiels aussi à la transition énergétique. Des revenus de 7,5 milliards de dollars sont attendus par l’État tanzanien sur la durée de vie du projet évalué alors à 33 ans.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/nickel/230 ... n-tanzanie

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 8 sept 2024 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 6#p2398236

Canada Nickel files Crawford project’s federal impact statement

Cecilia Jamasmie | October 3, 2024


The Crawford project is expected to begin production in 2027. (Image courtesy of Canada Nickel.)

Canada Nickel (TSX-V: CNC) (OTCQX: CNIKF) has taken a key step toward advancing its flagship Crawford nickel sulphide project in northern Ontario, kicking off the process of submitting of a federal impact statement.


The logging of the document, which the company expects to complete within the next six weeks, outlines the project’s potential environmental, social and economic impacts. It also includes mitigation measures to address any potential negative impact, asserting the company’s commitment to responsible mining practices.

Sign Up for the Battery Metals Digest

The assessment is a critical requirement for obtaining federal permits, which Canada Nickel is targeting to secure by 2025.

The Crawford project is expected to begin production in 2027, positioning the company as a key player in supplying the minerals needed for a low-carbon economy.

The proposed operation will consist of two open pits complemented by an on-site mill, to be completed in two phases to allow for throughput ramp-up, the feasibility study showed. Total capital cost for the two phases is estimated at $3.5 billion.

Over a 41-year project life, total metal production is calculated at 3.54 billion lb. of nickel, 52.9 million lb. of cobalt, 490,000 oz. of palladium and platinum, 58 million tonnes of iron, and 6.2 million lb. of chromium.

Peak production at Crawford nickel mine is expected in year 11, when autonomous trucks and remotely operated shovels are fully integrated into the operation.

Canada Nickel has the backing of top players in the mining and batteries markets, including South Korea’s Samsung SDI. The Toronto-based miner has also attracted the interest of Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX, NYSE: AEM), Canada’s largest gold producer, which now owns 12% of the company.

Chief executive Mark Selby emphasized the importance of stakeholder collaboration, noting that input from Indigenous Nations, local communities, government agencies, and experts was central to shaping the document.

“We’re grateful for the strong partnerships we’ve built with Indigenous Nations and community stakeholders, whose contributions have been essential in shaping the submission,” Selby said. “Their input helped ensure the project aligns with our shared values of sustainability and regional economic growth.”

As global demand for critical minerals increases, the Crawford project is expected to play an important role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Nickel, in particular, is a key component in the production of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), making Canada Nickel project’s progress crucial to meeting rising global demand.

Crawford hosts one of the world’s largest resources of the battery metal, totalling 2.46 billion tonnes at 0.24% nickel for 13.3 billion pounds of contained nickel, according to its feasibility study. This pegged the project’s after-tax net present value (8% discount) at $2.6 billion and internal rate of return at 18.3%.

https://www.mining.com/canada-nickel-fi ... statement/

[energy_isere]

En Nouvelle-Calédonie, le berceau de l'industrie mondiale du nickel ferme ses portes

Boursorama avec AFP •14/10/2024

La Société Le Nickel va "mettre en sommeil" son centre minier de Thio, dévasté par les exactions liées à la mobilisation contre le dégel du corps électoral qui a dégénéré en émeutes début mai, a annoncé lundi sa direction.

Quelque 230 salariés travaillaient sur les trois mines encore exploitées de la commune de la côte Est, dont l’histoire est étroitement liée à l’industrie minière.

C’est là qu’en 1875, le tout premier minerai de nickel a été extrait, donnant naissance à une industrie aujourd’hui en pleine mutation. La SLN y est née 5 ans plus tard, en 1880, et n'avait jamais interrompu son activité sur place, même pendant les graves troubles des années 1980, dont Thio était l’épicentre.

Mais cette fois, la SLN estime être "contrainte d'engager la mise en sommeil de ses sites de Thio, du fait de l’empêchement absolu et durable d'y accéder et d'exploiter les mines", écrit le directeur général de l’entreprise, Guillaume Kurek, dans un courrier adressé aux salariés et consulté par l’AFP.

Les dégâts subis à Thio par la SLN au cours des exactions qui ont touché la Nouvelle-Calédonie à partir de début mai sont conséquents : le convoyeur qui permettait de charger les minéraliers a été entièrement détruit par un incendie, de même que des laboratoires, des bureaux et maisons d'employés. Le matériel minier, pelles, chargeuses, camions ont eux aussi été incendiés, détruits ou volés, entraînant "une impossibilité pure et simple d’opérer", précise la SLN, qui pointe également du doigt "les blocages, menaces, et intrusions répétées".

En plus des 230 salariés, 120 emplois de sous-traitance, qui représentaient selon l’entreprise 31 millions d’euros de contrats annuels, sont menacés.

"La SLN, c'est 140 ans de la vie de Thio. Apprendre une nouvelle pareille, ça n'a rien de réjouissant", a réagi Jean-Patrick Toura, le maire de la commune, auprès de l’AFP. "Toute l'économie, nos magasins, nos marchés dépendent de la mine".

Les violences qui ont touché la Nouvelle-Calédonie ont eu des conséquences particulièrement désastreuses sur l’industrie du nickel, déjà en grande difficulté bien avant le 13 mai, date du début des troubles.

La concurrence exacerbée de l’Indonésie a contraint de nombreux géants du secteur à mettre en sommeil mines et sites métallurgiques, notamment en Australie. En Nouvelle-Calédonie, cette crise est aggravée par un coût élevé de l'électricité, dont la métallurgie est très consommatrice. Fin août, faute de repreneur, l’usine du Koniambo Nickel SAS, dans le nord du territoire, a été contrainte de fermer ses portes, laissant 1.700 salariés sur le carreau.

La SLN est elle aussi dans le rouge et son actionnaire majoritaire, le groupe français Eramet a indiqué à plusieurs reprises ne plus vouloir financer sa filiale.*

https://www.boursorama.com/actualite-ec ... bd95952122

C'est bien triste .....

[energy_isere]

Huayou seeks $2.7 billion for Ford-backed Indonesia nickel plant

Bloomberg News | November 7, 2024

Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., one of the world’s largest nickel producers, is sounding out banks for roughly $2.7 billion in financing for its Ford Motor Co.-backed project in Indonesia, according to people familiar with the matter.


HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc are arranging the loan and inviting other banks to participate in financing the Chinese company’s battery-nickel facility in Southeast Sulawesi, said the people who asked not to be named as the information is private.

Huayou partnered on the project with Ford and miner PT Vale Indonesia to make battery-grade nickel for electric vehicles. Indonesia accounts for more than half of global nickel output and has been aggressively wooing foreign investment in its domestic processing industry over the last decade or so.

Huayou, HSBC, and Standard Chartered did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The fundraising comes as benchmark nickel prices trade near a four-year low amid weaker demand from the stainless steel market and slower-than-expected growth in the EV sector.

The Pomalaa plant, would use ‘high-pressure acid leaching’ technology, or HPAL, to make the nickel chemicals known as mixed hydroxide precipitate, from low-grade ores. It is expected to have annual nickel output of 120,000 tons, which would make it one of the biggest HPAL projects in the Southeast Asian country.

The total investment amount for the project would be about $3.8 billion, Huayou said in a filing last December. Huayou has a 73.2% stake, while Vale has 18.3%, and Ford has an initial 8.5% holding with an option to raise it to 17% within an agreed timeframe.

Huayou said last year construction of the Pomalaa plant would require about three years. It has not provided an updated timeline but said earlier this year preliminary work had been carried out on the project.

https://www.mining.com/web/huayou-seeks ... kel-plant/

[energy_isere]

Un prospect de Nickel au Canada :

Canada Nickel Intersects Massive Sulphide at Bannockburn Project

Provided By Canada Nickel Company Inc. November 5, 2024

Highlights

- First massive sulphide drilled by Canada Nickel in Timmins Nickel District
- Intersects 3.9 metres of massive sulphide within 12.7 metres of mineralization

https://www.mining.com/sponsored-conten ... n-project/

[energy_isere]

GEM, PT Vale Indonesia partner for $1.4bn nickel HPAL project
The nickel facility will produce 60,000 tonnes (t) of contained nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) annually, critical for energy storage system (ESS) batteries.

November 12, 2024

Chinese battery metal producer GEM has signed a project investment cooperation framework agreement with PT Vale Indonesia, the Indonesian unit of the Brazilian mining company Vale, to establish a high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) facility in the central Sulawesi province of Indonesia.

The $1.4bn nickel processing facility is designed to produce at least 60,000t of contained nickel in MHP annually, a key component for ESS batteries.

The plant will adhere to zero-carbon and intelligent design principles.

............................

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... &cf-closed

[energy_isere]

Indonesia’s Jan-Oct nickel ore imports surge by 50 times from year ago

Reuters | November 15, 2024

Indonesia’s imports of nickel ore surged to 9.3 million metric tons in the first ten months of 2024, more than 50 times the corresponding figure of 161,917 tons for the year earlier period, the statistics bureau said on Friday.


The world’s biggest nickel producer has bought record volumes of the ore from the Philippines since April as smelter demand rose and Jakarta delayed the issue of mining quotas with heavy rains hurting mining activity, Reuters reported.

Alexander Barus, chief executive officer at nickel-focused Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, said the imports were ‘a rational business decision’ made by owners and management of domestic smelters.

“Domestic ore supply is lower than demand that reached 200 million tons per year for all specifications. Maybe because of the delay in nickel RKAB issuance,” Barus said, referring to the quotas.

Imports of nickel ore during January to October mostly came from the Philippines and China, for a total value of $406 million, up from $7.1 million a year earlier.

Indonesia changed the way it issued mining quotas this year, which affected nearly all miners in the resource-rich country. In June, authorities said they had issued 240 million metric tons of output quotas for the next three years.

However, ore shortages seemed to have continued later into the year. Top nickel producer China’s Tsingshan has cut its Indonesia ferronickel output because of ore shortage, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters in September.

Indonesian authorities have defended the nickel ore quota, saying volumes approved were more than enough for smelters.

https://www.mining.com/web/indonesias-j ... -year-ago/

[energy_isere]

Premium Resources shares jump on Botswana copper-nickel project initial resource

Blair McBride - The Northern Miner | November 27, 2024

An initial estimate for Premium Resources’ (TSXV: PREM) past-producing Selkirk project in eastern Botswana outlines 44.2 million inferred tonnes grading 0.3% copper and 0.24% nickel, the company reported Wednesday. Shares gained 11.5%. The resource also includes 0.55 gram palladium per...

abonnés

https://www.mining.com/subscribe-login/?id=1166586

[energy_isere]

Brazilian Nickel advances project financing with LOI for $550m

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Brazilian Nickel announced on Monday that it has received a letter of interest (LOI) from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for a $550 million loan for its Piauí nickel project in Brazil.

Piauí is an advanced-stage nickel laterite heap-leach project with a mineral reserve of 99 million tonnes at grades of 0.84% nickel and 0.05% cobalt. It began production in 2022 at an average production rate of 27,000 tonnes of nickel and 900 tonnes of cobalt per year during the first 10 years of operation.

https://www.ferro-alloys.com/en/News/Details/328126

J'avais raté ça l'an dernier

Brazilian Nickel unveils plans to invest US$1.2bn in Piauí project

Published: Wednesday, August 09, 2023

Brazilian Nickel (BRN) announced details of a 6bn-real (US$1.2bn) investment plan to develop a nickel and cobalt project in Piauí state.

The new unit would produce 25,000t/y of the metal per year, starting in 2026, in addition to 800t/y of cobalt, as from 2027.

The company currently produces 600t of nickel per month at its unit in Capitão Gervásio Oliveira, also in Piauí.

Representatives of Piauí Níquel Metais (PNM), the local subsidiary of BRN Brazilian Nickel, held a meeting this week with Piauí government officials to present details of the project.

“This will change the reality of the region and will put Piauí in the modern mining circuit, all in a sustainable way. A series of requirements and protocols are being looked at by all secretariats so that we can contribute to this growth and the people of Piauí will be the main beneficiaries, with more jobs and income," Piauí state governor Rafael Fonteles said in a statement.

The company has around 400 workers at its operations, but the new investments will probably create more than 2,000 direct jobs during the construction phase of the new unit, in addition to 800 new employees during the operating phase.

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/braz ... ui-project

[energy_isere]

LME nickel hits four-year low as 2025 opens with eyes on China

Bloomberg News | January 2, 2025

Nickel hit the lowest level since 2020 and copper steadied near a nine-month low on the first trading day of the year, with investors weighing the impact of a rallying dollar and the scope for additional Chinese stimulus.


Prices for nickel, used in stainless steel and batteries, dropped towards $15,000 a ton on the London Metal Exchange, as the dollar added pressure on industrial metals toward the end of the trading day.

The greenback’s rally came as a weekly reading of US jobless claims dropped to an eight-month low, signaling the ongoing resilience of the nation’s economy. A stronger dollar could hurt buying power for manufacturers in countries like China, where there are already worries about the strength of metals demand.

For the year to come, the market is focused on whether there will be a recovery in China’s embattled property sector, a key demand pillar for metals, as well as the potential impact of trade frictions from Donald Trump’s US presidency. Officials have pledged to use greater public borrowing and spending as well as monetary easing to spur growth in 2025.

Investors are “waiting to see if and when Chinese support measures will feed their way into metals markets in the form of stronger demand,” said Ewa Manthey, a commodities strategist at ING, said by email. “Trump’s tariffs could also trigger bigger stimulus from China, capping the downside for copper prices this year.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged new challenges from the external environment in a New Year’s Eve speech on Tuesday. Earlier that day, he said China is on track to meet its official growth target of about 5% for 2024 and the economy is “overall stable.”

The LMEX Index of six metals on the London Metal Exchange closed out 2024 with a modest gain of about 4%, as softer Chinese demand was offset by flashes of supply stress on falling inventories and mine supply shortages.

Nickel was 1.6% lower at $15,090 a ton as of 4:48 p.m. local time on the LME, after earlier hitting $15,055 a ton, the lowest level since November 2020. Copper was 0.4% higher at $8,801.50 a ton, having closed out 2024 at a nine-month low.

https://www.mining.com/web/lme-nickel-h ... -on-china/