Company PT Aneka Tambang will resume export of Nickel raw materials

State company Antam, Indonesia, will resume the export of Nickel raw materials. For more than three years the company’s activity was frozen. The first trial batch is scheduled to ship in may in China. The lot size is 150 thousand tons. As reported by Reuters throughout the year, the Indonesian company will be able to send to China, 2.7 million tons of raw materials. Earlier, representatives of the company, specifying the number stored in the warehouses of raw materials prepared for collection, said about 5 million tons. PT Aneka Tambang in 2018, expects to receive permission to move further 3.7 million tonnes.

The Indonesian government banned the export of raw Nickel in 2014. This step was made based on the creation of capacities for the development of products with increased added value. To some extent, hope is justified due to Chinese manufacturers. The Chinese companies established in the country the production of ferronickel, production of stainless steel. However, mining company Antam and including suffered because of the ban substantial losses. Because the Indonesian government decided to make certain concessions. In January 2017 the export of Nickel raw materials has resumed. During this period, deliveries to China amounted to 123 thousand tons of Nickelore.

The volume of Chinese imports in 2016 amounted to 32.1 million tons of Nickel raw materials. 95% of them purchased products accounted for the Philippines. But the Philippine government wants to limit the extraction of raw materials in order to reduce the burden on the environment. However, the reduction of the Philippine volumes kompensiruet the increase in exports from Indonesia. Accordingly, companies in the production of stainless steel from China shortage of raw materials is not expected.

Meanwhile the price of Nickel on the LME at the end of April decreased to the level of 9320 USD/ton. June 2016 — this is the lowest rate. Experts say that the fall was caused by a sharp decline in Chinese imports of Nickel. In the first quarter of 2017 in China were imported 43,38 thousand tons of cleaned Nickel. This figure is 60% lower compared to the same period last year. However, the increase in supply in 2016 in China caused the increase of Nickel to the level of more than 11000 USD/ton in early 2017. In the end, the Chinese companies started to reduce the purchase of expensive raw materials in favor of Indonesian ferronickel and Nickel ore Philippine.