Hi vintage
The offtake partner at the moment would be using Ni briquettes to place back into solution via H2SO4 and going thru the SX process with addition of ammonia to produce the Ni and Co sulphates for existing batt production.
As I posted with a report a few weeks ago this year alone the LME stocks of Ni briquettes has been depleted to the tune of 56Kt. Forget the NPI's and Ferro Nickels that the LME also store under the various warehouses around the world briquettes are going backwards at a unsustainable rate. Briquettes are the Class 1 product that is almost the sole supplier to the sulphate production world.
To increase batt manufacture requires more Class 1 Ni or suppliers that preferably can deliver this product straight from mine. At this point that is unheard of in the nickel world. Auz, Clq and Arl are looking to filling this void. This makes a cheaper finished product as the briquettes which are the quality product of the nickel world do not have to go thru the solution and sx process to basically downgrade its grade, and in the process adding to costs in the extra refining.
There are no sulphide Ni smelters and refineries on the drawing boards at the moment so companies that can fill this void will obviously be on the front foot for further expected uptake of batt technology.
AUZ Price at posting:
4.2¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)