Industry association the Australian Aluminium Council has recommenced its efforts to have bauxite, alumina and aluminium added to the nation’s list of critical minerals, releasing a new report on supply chain risks and urging the government not to let aluminium “become the new nickel”. In a statement on Thursday, the council said that expanding the…
By Professor Akbar Rhamdhani You might not know it, but critical minerals are the hidden engine powering our daily lives. They drive the functionality of our electronics, medical devices and renewable energy systems. Without them, our world would grind to a standstill and the technology we rely on every day, such as smartphones and laptops,…
BHP has taken what it calls ‘the difficult but necessary decision’ to temporarily suspend its Western Australian Nickel operation, Nickel West. The company operates open-cut and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery all located in Western Australia. The company blamed ‘significant and sustained challenges to the Australian nickel industry’, which includes a period of…
Australia’s resources and energy export earnings are forecast to normalise over the next two years as commodity prices return to long-term levels following a price spike brought about by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The June 2024 Resources and Energy Quarterly (REQ) from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources estimates export earnings of $417 billion…
By Mohan Yellishetty, Monash University Australia’s nickel industry has been granted access to billions of dollars in federal funding as well as relief from royalty payments after a collapse in the global price of nickel that threatens thousands of jobs. On Thursday BHP wrote down the value of its West Australian nickel division Nickel West…
A slump in prices for the critical mineral nickel – used in battery manufacture – has brought action from the federal and Western Australian governments. In the past few days federal Resources Minister Madeleine King placed nickel on the Critical Minerals List, giving nickel companies opportunity to access billions of dollars in Commonwealth funding. And…
The Western Australian Government is refocusing the State’s activities in the rapidly evolving battery and critical minerals sector with the release of a new paper for public consultation. The state’s Battery and Critical Minerals Strategy opened for comment, aiming to build on successes already achieved by the increasingly lucrative industry. The state is already home…
Sunrise Energy Metals has said it is evaluating locating a refinery for nickel and cobalt in the United States, citing “ongoing engagement” with automotive manufacturers and government agencies in the nation. The company (formerly known as Clean TeQ Holdings) is developing the Sunrise Nickel-Cobalt-Scandium Project in Central West New South Wales, which was awarded Major…
