Big short squezze coming now..13 smelter closures in indonesia over night, page-32

New Market on the horizon

Western Areas is looking outside its traditional smelting markets for sales. Western Areas is primed to sign its first offtake contracts directly with battery makers.

It is pushing ahead with plans to add a leaching circuit to its mill to produce 1400 tonnes a year of a new concentrate product grading 45 per cent to 50 per cent nickel.

That product is likely to go direct to battery makers, on terms likely to be significantly better than smelters would pay.