Never mind the Saudis: Here's a new OPEC for EV battery metals Indonesia is looking to use its position as the nickel capital of the world to set up a cartel with other like-minded mining empires, similar to the way OPEC joins forces to control the global crude oil market. This is at a time when demand for nickel surges and the world struggles to move from fossil fuel-based autos to …
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Fortunately His Majesty's Northern Empire also contains giant nickels
As opposed to the Northern Territories that just contain useless diamonds
I don't think China actually tried anything of the sort, but the 'yellow peril' types were adamant that they were. China didn't try it because contestable monopolies are contestable, as you say.
The same thing applies here.
https://nickelinstitute.org/en/about-nickel-and-its-applications
Just to remind everyone:
"The terms “reserves” and “resources” are used to describe the availability of raw materials. The Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards defines the terms as follows: “A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of solid material of economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. A mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured and/or Indicated Mineral Resource.”
"‘Reserves’ imply an increased level of knowledge and confidence. Mining companies continuously convert resources into reserves by exploration."
So while Indonesia has a far proportion of the world's current reserves, it doesn't have any significant amount of the world's nickel resources.
They did indeed.
They sold lanthanides for less than cost for long enough to kill lanthanide mining in the US and Australia, which have large deposits. Then they announced that they would not export raw lanthanides but would sell finished products containing the metals to one and all.
US lanthanide mining continued to languish, last I checked, but the Australians said, "No, no, we'll start mining again."
This all played out years and years ago, so the US may have resumed lanthanide mining also. In any event, it backfired on them.
Same will happen with nickel and cobalt. Plenty of nickel and cobalt elsewhere. And manganese can be found lying all over the ocean floor in MnO nodules.
Rank Country/Region Nickel production (tonnes)
1 Indonesia 800,000
2 Philippines 420,000
3 Russia 270,000
4 New Caledonia 220,000
5= Canada 180,000
5= Australia 180,000
7 China 110,000
8 Brazil 67,000
9 Cuba 51,000
10 United States 14,000
Joe still has Tariffs imposed against Canadian Steel and Aluminum... way to go Joe you dope. Joe's still stopping Murcians from visiting Cuber... way to go JOE! Joe has Sanctions against Russia.
How are those Battery Plants coming Joe?
UH OH... Indonesia's biggest trade partner is CHINER...
SCHUMER SECURES $63.7 MILLION FOR BINGHAMTON [Pork Chops for Binghamton]
Sep 2, 2022 — Schumer: The Southern Tier & Finger Lakes Will Power The Future Of Battery Research & Manufacturing For America.
[Sure they will Chuck sure they will...Have you considered a battery plant for the Catskills?] /BTW this was part of the "INFLATION REDUCTION ACT..."
"I don't think China actually tried anything of the sort, but the 'yellow peril' types were adamant that they were. China didn't try it because contestable monopolies are contestable, as you say."
They did something smarter. They consolidated several rare earths companies into a single entity and based it in Xinjiang. Now the US will have to certify that that company's products are free from slave labour and whatever other nonsense that the US thinks of, or stop importing.
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