Nickel Industries Ltd. has produced its first nickel cathode at its Excelsior nickel cobalt (ENC) integrated High-Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL) refinery project in Indonesia.
The advanced facility has achieved full vertical integration by processing its own mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), first produced in July 2026, into refined nickel cathode metal.
The feed is derived from limonite ore supplied by the company’s majority-owned Hengjaya Mine and delivered directly via a 22-kilometre slurry pipeline.
This achievement transitions the miner from producing intermediate battery materials to outputting finished Class 1 nickel metal, a material required by global aerospace manufacturers and electric vehicle supply chains.
Nickel Industries Managing Director Justin Werner noted the significance of the swift ramp-up following initial MHP production.
“First cathode takes Nickel Industries beyond intermediate products and into finished Class 1 nickel – the form of metal our customers in the aerospace industry ultimately require,” Werner said.
“Very few companies have built that capability in Indonesia. To have done it within weeks of first MHP speaks to the calibre of our team and our partners on the ground.”
The company is now collecting operational data to begin brand registration on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Formal LME registration will allow ENC’s high-purity cathode to be deliverable against international contracts, granting direct access to global exchange trading and premium pricing.
Upstream operations at the Hengjaya Mine remain strong, delivering 1.4 million wet metric tonnes (wmt) of nickel ore sales in July to feed both ENC and the company’s Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace (RKEF) operations.
This performance keeps Nickel Industries on target to meet its 14.3 million wmt annual RKAB quota for 2026.
The next phase of commissioning is moving rapidly, with first cobalt sulphate production anticipated by the end of August as the facility scales up toward total nameplate capacity across all product suites.
