Russia is the world's biggest supplier of nickel (8%) & natural...

Russia is the world's biggest supplier of nickel (8%) & natural gas- & the world's second biggest supplier of oil. It is also a major producer of coal (not sure where it ranks).
Following its brutal & bloody invasion of Ukraine, western countries are increasing thier sanctions (which, IMO, will last for many years- Russia cannot, obviously, be trusted).

I hope Russia withdraws immediately from Ukraine, its leaders are imprisoned for being war criminals, & it & pays full damages for the human & material losse sit has created- but this is unlikely.

bbc.com 8.3.22

The USA is planning now to ban Russian oil imports etc. (& nickel, I assume, will soon follow).

The EU & Britain (&, I assume, most other countries alligned too the West) are planning to divest themselves, eventually, of Russian energy imports (&, I assume, nickel soon).
Simultaneously, they have stated they want to increase, asap, their energy derived from renewable sources.

"EU to propose phasing out Russian energy

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The European Union has drafted plans to diversify its energy supply and phase out its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal imports.

The bloc currently imports nearly half of its gas and coal, and about a third of its oil, from Russia.

EU leaders will discuss the proposed phase-out this Thursday and Friday at a gathering in Versailles, France.

A draft statement reportedly refers to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as "a tectonic shift in European history".

It sets out an objective of "reducing our dependencies and designing a new growth and investment model for 2030" by accelerating the development of renewables as well as by diversifying energy supplies and routes.

Other Western leaders are also scrambling to prepare for potential shocks to global energy markets.

Earlier on Monday, British PM Boris Johnson urged a "step-by-step" move away from dependence on Russian oil and gas.

The US, which imports about 8% of its oil from Russia, has recently been trying to cut deals with major oil-exporting nations like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela".

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Nickel, obviously, is essential for EV's lithium NCM batteries; & general, solar lithium battery storeage.

These trends, & likely ban on Russian nickel etc. are very likely to further increase the price of nickel in general; &, in particular, accelerate price rises for lithium Nickel CM Battery materials (at an even HIGHER % increase).
These factors will greatly improve QPM's business case, & ultimately, profitability.

And did anyone mention that nickel is now, even more, of an "essential" metal in renewable energy technologies..& no country wants to rely on Russian fossil fuels' energy imports!