Huayou Cobalt has signed a definitive agreement with Vale Indonesia (PTVI) to develop a production plant for mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) in Indonesia’s south Sulawesi province.
Huali Nickel Indonesia, which is on target to start production in early 2027, will have a nameplate capacity of 60,000 t/yr nickel metal equivalent for nickel and 5,000 t/yr for cobalt with the MHP output, using the high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) process. The MHP will be used to manufacture electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The two firms signed an initial agreement to develop the project in September 2022. Huali shall sign a formal ore supply agreement with PTVI for limonite supplies from PTVI’s Sorowako mine to ensure feedstock supplies to Huali’s HPAL project, once PTVI completes the feasibility study on exploration of the mine.
Huayou has invested in another joint-venture project with PTVI and US auto producer Ford, also in Sulawesi, to produce MHP with 120,000 t/yr of nickel metal equivalent capacity with the cobalt capacity undisclosed. It will process ore provided by PTVI from its Pomalaa block mine, with completion scheduled for 2026.
Huayou has invested in a number of nickel and cobalt output projects in Indonesia to meet rapidly evolving demand from the EV battery industry chain and take advantage of Indonesia’s abundant resources of key battery metals. Huayou’s nickel shipments more than trebled from a year earlier to 53,700t in the first half of 2023.