BHP may expand nickel push
BHP is looking to bring forward stage two of a planned nickel sulfate plant, after inquiries from battery makers.
BHP has flagged it could double down on its foray into supplying nickel chemicals into the electric vehicle market.
The head of BHP’s resurgent nickel division, Eddy Haegel, told the Australian Nickel Conference in Perth that the company was looking to bring forward stage two of its proposed nickel sulfate processing plant at Kwinana after being inundated with inquiries from the world’s biggest battery manufacturers.
He also revealed the company was investigating the economic and technical feasibility of moving even further downstream with the potential development of a cathode precursor plant at Kwinana.
“The new energy revolution is coming and it will be very good news for our local nickel industry,” Mr Haegel said.
BHP announced in August its plans for a $US43 million nickel sulfate circuit at its Kwinana nickel refinery, which would produce the powdered nickel that is used in lithium ion batteries. That initial circuit will produce 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulfate, but BHP is now looking to double that output after strong feedback from battery manufacturers.
Nickel demand has traditionally come predominantly from the stainless steel industry, but Mr Haegel now believes the battery industry could account for half of its sales by the end of next year.
“The opportunity for us and the Western Australian nickel industry is that the underlying demand for the metals that make up lithium ion batteries is going to be huge. There is going to be a battery boom,” he said.
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