Nickel Supply Tightness May Begin in 2014

Platts reported that according to Joe Belladonna, CFO of Western Areas Ltd. (TSX:WSA,ASX:WSA), starting in 2014, there may be some tightness in supply for nickel smelters. Rising pressure on China’s nickel pig iron production may exacerbate the situation.

As quoted in the market news:

‘Nickel laterites and nickel pig iron are not capable of filling this sulphide void at a time when the metal is increasingly being recognized and sought for its strategic application in stainless steel and other products with quite extraordinary performance characteristics,’ he told a conference.

Belladonna expects the ‘pinch point’ for quality nickel sulphide concentrates to occur around 2015.

‘If you assess the China factor, nickel pig iron in China is expected to plateau at current levels over the next two decades and is not likely to increase at its current pace, into the future — in an environment where total Chinese nickel demand is expected to rise to nearly 1.6 million mt of contained metal by 2030,’ he told the Perth conference.

Click here to read the full Platts report.