August 2022
Indonesia is experiencing the fastest demand growth for both mined and finished nickel. Finished nickel demand surged from virtually zero in 2016 to almost 400kt within five years. While mined demand also saw a massive jump since the 2020 ore export ban.
But is it ‘Green’? Indonesia is targeting carbon neutrality by 2060. A pilot carbon trading scheme has recently been launched to help reduce emissions from coal energy plants. There is currently no carbon tax on nickel production. In 2020, Indonesia was estimated to have released 589.5Mt of emissions. The country's volume of emissions has been gradually increasing as it develops its manufacturing-based economy. CATL is expanding its portfolio of sustainable battery projects with the construction of a recycling facility and a cero-carbon manufacturing plant. This facility will be an example for the rest of the company’s production facilities moving forward. Tsingshan’s integrated RKEF-AOD operation design has also reduced energy consumption and emissions, as the heated ferronickel is charged directly into the stainless-steel mills.