Associated News, page-3222

It's OK to look at the political situation in the jurisdiction where QPM would get all its ore from. I'm sure QPM management have done the same.

They've secured a variety of ore supply agreements totalling the projected 1,600,000 wmt/a to have TECH operating at nameplate.
All agreements have termination clauses like this one with SMT:

What Is Force Majeure? Force majeure is a clause that is included in contracts to remove liability for unforeseeable and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events and prevent participants from fulfilling obligations. These clauses generally cover natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, as well as human actions, such as armed conflict and human-made diseases.

Given nickel mining accounts for >90% of its export earnings, you'd think the NC authorities would attempt to minimise any disruption to the mining and smelting operations, to both ensure the economy at large is earning, and the high earning population is employed and happy.

You'd think also QPM would as part of operations have a stockpile of ore on hand at Lansdown for drying & blending purposes, and to mitigate against any supply issues.

IMO the existence of the TECH project would indicate a level of support for the local mining industry quite above what it is experiencing at present with the government review & withdrawal of Eramet funding leaving great uncertainty of the country's nickel operations continuing (and with flow through effects to the stability of the population).

It is certainly unfortunate for those in New Caledonia at present, and I hope all settles down soon without further loss of life or damage to people's livelihoods.
It highlights the industry's supply projections can be downgraded due to circumstances in a single jurisdiction, just like weather events in Indo or the Philippines.

While much of the TECH projects messaging recently has been about engaging with government & offtake partners, maybe this wording gives an indication a big brother like IGO may come on board:https://connectweb.com.au/news.aspx?id=1003461&headline=queensland-pacific-metals-asx-qpm-to-focus-on-gas-and-energy-growth
Revised Focus on TECH Project: Given the current challenging market conditions for nickel and battery metals, QPM will scale down further expenditures on its TECH Project. Nevertheless, the company remains dedicated to pursuing this initiative and will continue to explore alternative funding solutions and collaborations to advance the project.