The nickel processing complex operated by Harita Nickel on Obi Island. Indonesia holds the world’s largest nickel reserves, but much of that is laterite ore, low-grade material long unloved by major producers.
Photographer: Dimas Ardian/BloombergNickel Revolution Has Indonesia Chasing Battery Riches Tinged With Risk
A wave of new supply from the Southeast Asian nation, key for climate goals, is challenging metal markets and a pristine environment.
Obi, among hundreds of scattered spice islands in the Maluku archipelago, is an unlikely spot for a metal market convulsion. Only the northern part of this island gets power from the state utility. It’s home mostly to fishermen and coconut farmers.
Harita Nickel’s sprawling complex of processing machinery and conveyor belts tells a different story. One of a new breed of nickel producers, backed by Chinese know-how and cash, it’s using the latest generation of a method known as high-pressure acid leaching, or HPAL, to turn Indonesia's low-grade ore into metal fit to power a Tesla car.