The Deadly Mining Complex Powering the EV Revolution

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-indonesia-sulawesi-nickel-fire/

by antr • 2 years ago

11 4 2 years ago

bloomberg.com

philipkglass• 2 years ago

The share of nickel production going into batteries has risen quickly in recent years:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1257902/share-of-nickel-...

15% of consumption in 2022, up from 3% in 2015.

Nonetheless, stainless steel is still the largest consumer by far:

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-c...

Nickel is primarily sold for first use as refined metal (cathode, powder, briquet, etc.) or ferronickel. About 65% of the nickel consumed in the Western World is used to make austenitic stainless steel. Another 12% goes into superalloys (e.g., Inconel 600) or nonferrous alloys (e.g., cupronickel). Both families of alloys are widely used because of their corrosion resistance. The aerospace industry is a leading consumer of nickel-base superalloys. Turbine blades, discs and other critical parts of jet engines are fabricated from superalloys. Nickel-base superalloys are also used in land-based combustion turbines, such those found at electric power generation stations. The remaining 23% of consumption is divided between alloy steels, rechargeable batteries, catalysts and other chemicals, coinage, foundry products, and plating.

I expect that the share of consumption going to batteries will plateau this decade, since nickel-free lithium iron phosphate batteries are rapidly growing market share:

https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/what-to-expect-...

The rise of cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries will continue this year, with the cell chemistry set to account for almost 50% of all market demand. LFP cells are forecast to increase their market share to 48% in 2024, from 45% of demand in 2023, according to Benchmark’s Lithium Ion Battery Database.

And sodium ion batteries free of nickel and lithium are now commercially available and ramping up production:

"China's first large-scale sodium battery energy storage station now operational" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40454047

"Lithium-free sodium batteries exit the lab and enter US production" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40248627

Which is to say that safety conditions in Indonesian nickel facilities will probably still be poor, but won't have a lot to do with batteries.

zapperdulchen• 2 years ago

The headline is misleading since not only is nickel mostly used in stainless steel but also the dramatic incident that opens the article as narrative hook is at a facility that produces stainless steel: "The metal is a crucial component for making stainless steel, the purpose of the facility where the explosion occurred."

drcongo• 2 years ago

Bloomberg will seemingly run any story a lobbyist asks them to.

lake_trade• 2 years ago

Archive Link: https://archive.is/5nXkR

The Deadly Mining Complex Powering the EV Revolution

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