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Bags filled with nickel briquette and nickel powder sit in a warehouse at the BHP Group Ltd. Kwinana Nickel Refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia, Australia, on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. The world’s biggest miners, including BHP Group and Glencore Plc, are finally firm believers in the electric vehicle battery revolution — what they don’t agree on is which metals will deliver the best long-term exposure to the developing global market. Photographer: Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg
Excepted from BHP's Nickel West
"Looking ahead
First production from the nickel sulphate plant at the Kwinana Nickel Refinery is expected at the end of FY2019. We continue to explore options for a Stage 2, 200 kt nickel sulphate facility. We will continue test work on a cobalt sulphate circuit plant at the Kwinana Nickel Refinery, which would produce a cobalt sulphate product.
Bhp produced 50% grade ni sulphate powder which is roughly the same as WSA's ni sulphate powder.
Which plant is cheaper?
BHP
Concentrate grade of 15% > Smelter to produce ni matte > Stage 1 Refiner to mix with concentrate and matte > Ni sulphate powder grade of 50% with concentrate availability of 98.4%
Stage 2 is an Ion-Exchange
WSA
Concentrate with grade of 15% > MREP to mix with concentrate > Ni sulphate powder grade of 50% with concentrate availability of 98.4%
MREP to work with BHP's Ion-Exchange
One simple MREP plant could replace BHP's smelter and stage 1 refiner plant
One integrated smelter costs more than a billion and Stage 1 refiner could cost around 500 millions (I guess) whereas MREP costs around a few millions
If BHP's ni product is making money then WSA's ni product is making a lots of money.
WSA doesn't need a conference call because shorters had already known the company inside out.
WSA needs huge offtake contracts from different customers in order to bring the Odysseus project online ASAP.
I don't like an TO offer from BHP
