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Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":881,"relatedVideos":882},112471061838142,"5313eb29-d1e0-41da-b015-5d79326be0fc","The ecological costs of Indonesian nickel","the-ecological-costs-of-indonesian-nickel","article/the-ecological-costs-of-indonesian-nickel",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":571,"content":581,"excerpt":858,"featured":51,"reporter":859,"_editable":863,"component":864,"seo_title":543,"categories":865,"visibility":874,"author_company":49,"featured_image":875,"seo_description":858,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":879,"formattedArticleDate":880},"f835ceab-3c51-4323-8643-a0c994967fa2","2023-07-18 00:00",[550,553,556,559,562,565,568],{"slug":551,"name":552},"carbon-curve","Carbon curve",{"slug":554,"name":555},"environmental-regulation","environmental regulation",{"slug":557,"name":558},"indonesia","Indonesia",{"slug":560,"name":561},"life-cycle-assessment","Life Cycle Assessment",{"slug":563,"name":564},"nickel-refining","nickel refining",{"slug":566,"name":567},"policy","Policy",{"slug":569,"name":570},"esg","ESG",[572],{"slug":573,"name":574,"content":575},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":576,"image":577,"bio":579,"linkedin":580},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":578},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":582,"content":583},"doc",[584,601,606,619,632,645,652,657,662,669,674,679,684,689,694,699,704,709,714,719,728,733,738,743,748,753,758,763,768,773,778,783,788,795,800,805,810,815,820,825,830,835,840,845,850],{"type":585,"attrs":586,"content":587},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[588,591,599],{"text":589,"type":590},"Nickel refining in Indonesia can severely pressure natural ecosystems, according to ","text",{"text":592,"type":590,"marks":593},"Benchmark’s global nickel life cycle assessment",[594],{"type":595,"attrs":596},"link",{"href":597,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":598},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/esg/nickel/reports/","url",{"text":600,"type":590},", underlining the need to look beyond global warming impacts when evaluating the battery metal’s sustainability.",{"type":585,"attrs":602,"content":603},{"textAlign":49},[604],{"text":605,"type":590},"An Indonesia-to-China production route that uses the high pressure acid leaching (HPAL) method ranked second worst among seven production routes analysed by Benchmark for three nature risks – water consumption, soil acidification, and fine particulate matter formation. This is despite performing well on global warming potential, due to low carbon emissions relative to other routes.",{"type":585,"attrs":607,"content":608},{"textAlign":49},[609,611,617],{"text":610,"type":590},"As the world’s largest nickel producer, Indonesia will be critical to meeting ",{"text":612,"type":590,"marks":613},"demand for electric vehicle batteries",[614],{"type":595,"attrs":615},{"href":616,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":598},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/indonesia-cobalt-supply-to-push-market-into-surplus-this-decade",{"text":618,"type":590}," this decade. The country has said it hopes to be included as an eligible supply source under the US Inflation Reduction Act, though this has not yet been finalised or confirmed. ",{"type":585,"attrs":620,"content":621},{"textAlign":49},[622,624,630],{"text":623,"type":590},"Chinese companies have invested heavily in HPAL processing plants in the country, which refine the country’s nickel laterite ore into mostly mixed hydroxide precipitate ",{"text":625,"type":590,"marks":626},"(MHP)",[627],{"type":595,"attrs":628},{"href":629,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":598},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/benchmark-launches-nickel-industrys-first-mixed-hydroxide-precipitate-mhp-price",{"text":631,"type":590}," for export to China for use in electric vehicle batteries. ",{"type":585,"attrs":633,"content":634},{"textAlign":49},[635,637,643],{"text":636,"type":590},"Attention has grown, however, on the ecological impacts of nickel mining and processing in the country. This could become an even greater concern as more Indonesian nickel ends up in ",{"text":638,"type":590,"marks":639},"Western markets",[640],{"type":595,"attrs":641},{"href":642,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":598},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/investment-in-indonesian-nickel-diversifies-from-china-as-ford-joins-4-5-billion-project",{"text":644,"type":590},". ",{"type":585,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"textAlign":49},[648,650],{"text":649,"type":590},"So far, critical minerals partnerships struck between the US and other regions have referenced sustainability without embedding specific rules for nature risk and LCAs.",{"text":651,"type":590},"Similarly, the EU Critical Minerals Act proposal does not require critical minerals sellers to conduct LCAs on products they put onto the EU market. It does say the EU aims to formulate such a framework for critical minerals LCAs and LCA requirements in future, one that sellers must adhere to in order to put their products on the EU market. However, this is only a template for the moment, with no time-frame given for executing it.",{"type":585,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655],{"text":656,"type":590},"Nature risks harm wildlife, food security, and human health while also indirectly contributing to global warming. Yet companies monitor and disclose them far less than greenhouse gas emissions, often treated as the sole metric of sustainability by corporate ESG reports.",{"type":585,"attrs":658,"content":659},{"textAlign":49},[660],{"text":661,"type":590},"“Greenhouse gas-driven climate change has been on the agenda for a while, but conversations around ‘nature risk’ are only now getting louder,” says Benchmark analyst Elizaveta Kremer-Nidzelskaya.",{"type":663,"attrs":664,"content":666},"heading",{"level":665,"textAlign":49},4,[667],{"text":668,"type":590},"Environmental impacts of the HPAL route",{"type":585,"attrs":670,"content":671},{"textAlign":49},[672],{"text":673,"type":590},"The HPAL process uses steam and high pressure along with sulphuric acid to separate nickel and cobalt from laterite ore. ",{"type":585,"attrs":675,"content":676},{"textAlign":49},[677],{"text":678,"type":590},"Indonesia’s ramp-up in nickel refining capacity, particularly through new HPAL projects, will be essential for the world to meet its decarbonisation targets. However, the country’s drive to build out the industry could undermine its own conservation goals. ",{"type":585,"attrs":680,"content":681},{"textAlign":49},[682],{"text":683,"type":590},"The southeast Asian nation ranks as one of the world’s 17 “mega-diverse” countries, with habitats on metal outcrops – including those where nickel is found – displaying exceptionally high levels of endemic biodiversity. Sulawesi, where six refineries are planned, is typical of an Indonesian region rich in both unique species and nickel deposits.",{"type":585,"attrs":685,"content":686},{"textAlign":49},[687],{"text":688,"type":590},"Assessing how nickel refining impacts affect ecosystems requires metrics other than greenhouse gas emissions. As well as global warming, Benchmarks’ LCA looked at marine eutrophication, freshwater eutrophication, ozone depletion, freshwater consumption, fine particulate matter formation, and terrestrial acidification. ",{"type":585,"attrs":690,"content":691},{"textAlign":49},[692],{"text":693,"type":590},"The LCA modelled two supply chains associated with Indonesian nickel: RKEF and HPAL. Of the seven routes assessed, these carried the largest volume of global nickel supply in 2022. RKEF supplies both the EV and the steel industry while the HPAL route makes up the bulk of nickel that goes into EV batteries worldwide.",{"type":585,"attrs":695,"content":696},{"textAlign":49},[697],{"text":698,"type":590},"The RKEF route – which models a supply chain linking Indonesian nickel to Chinese refineries – scored worst on the highest number of environmental impact categories. On top of global warming, it ranked bottom for marine eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, fine particulate matter formation, freshwater eutrophication, and water consumption.",{"type":585,"attrs":700,"content":701},{"textAlign":49},[702],{"text":703,"type":590},"The RKEF technique is used by the majority of nickel refineries operating in Indonesia today. However, all 24 pipeline nickel refinery projects in Indonesia use HPAL, a more energy efficient alternative. ",{"type":585,"attrs":705,"content":706},{"textAlign":49},[707],{"text":708,"type":590},"The LCA found that the HPAL production route – which models a supply chain that carried most of the world’s EV battery nickel in 2022 – released 370% more pollutants than its nearest contender within the particulate matter formation category and 270% more for terrestrial acidification.",{"type":585,"attrs":710,"content":711},{"textAlign":49},[712],{"text":713,"type":590},"Terrestrial acidification refers to the release of sulphur dioxide into the environment, which damages terrestrial species. Sulphur dioxide is already monitored by the Indonesian government through real-time numbers that must be below a set threshold.  ",{"type":585,"attrs":715,"content":716},{"textAlign":49},[717],{"text":718,"type":590},"Particulate matter are emissions that damage human health, increasing the risk of respiratory diseases, lung cancer and cardiovascular mortality.",{"type":585,"attrs":720,"content":721},{"textAlign":49},[722],{"type":723,"attrs":724},"image",{"id":49,"alt":725,"src":726,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":727},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/8f66bbcbdb/bm-chart-screenshot-18.png",{},{"type":585,"attrs":729,"content":730},{"textAlign":49},[731],{"text":732,"type":590},"MHP production, a step within the HPAL process, was the source for most of the route’s overall terrestrial acidification and fine particulate matter formation impacts through its release of sulphur dioxide. The sulphur dioxide emissions of HPAL increase when sulphuric acid is produced on-site.",{"type":585,"attrs":734,"content":735},{"textAlign":49},[736],{"text":737,"type":590},"HPAL’s ecosystem impacts could be even higher as Benchmark’s assessment did not account for sulphur dioxide pollution released by tailings.",{"type":585,"attrs":739,"content":740},{"textAlign":49},[741],{"text":742,"type":590},"Reconciling rapid nickel industry growth in Indonesia, the most biodiverse nickel producer, with the country’s conservation goals will depend on industry tracking a wider range of environmental impacts across production chains. ",{"type":585,"attrs":744,"content":745},{"textAlign":49},[746],{"text":747,"type":590},"The Indonesian government has already proposed using its Program for Environmental Performance Rating (PROPER) scheme to incentivise more comprehensive environmental impact monitoring, including for biodiversity, by giving more emphasis on rating companies for conducting LCAs. ",{"type":585,"attrs":749,"content":750},{"textAlign":49},[751],{"text":752,"type":590},"Nonetheless, Kremer-Nidzelskaya says environmental risk mitigation comes with cost and technical challenges. ",{"type":585,"attrs":754,"content":755},{"textAlign":49},[756],{"text":757,"type":590},"“The technology is already quite advanced and used in a controlled environment, with thresholds in place set by the government to limit impacts on water or air pollution, for instance, making any technological leaps difficult and costly,” she said.",{"type":585,"attrs":759,"content":760},{"textAlign":49},[761],{"text":762,"type":590},"Although Indonesia has a robust set of environmental regulations in place, the issue often lies with weaknesses in monitoring and implementation. The country’s president Joko Widodo pledged to improve monitoring in the nickel mining industry while visiting a nickel mining town on Sulawesi island in March 2023.",{"type":663,"attrs":764,"content":765},{"level":665,"textAlign":49},[766],{"text":767,"type":590},"HPAL offers smaller greenhouse gas savings than RKEF",{"type":585,"attrs":769,"content":770},{"textAlign":49},[771],{"text":772,"type":590},"Apart from highlighting HPAL’s nature risks, Benchmark’s LCA results also complicates its reputation as a low emission processing alternative to RKEF.",{"type":585,"attrs":774,"content":775},{"textAlign":49},[776],{"text":777,"type":590},"Benchmark’s LCA found that the HPAL route emitted 80% less carbon than RKEF and had the second lowest carbon emissions of all the seven routes analysed. However, HPAL’s carbon impact is harder to mitigate than for RKEF.",{"type":585,"attrs":779,"content":780},{"textAlign":49},[781],{"text":782,"type":590},"RKEF’s greenhouse emissions are mostly derived from the use of coal-fired power in Indonesia and China. Switching to a 34% renewable energy mix however would achieve a 9% lowering of its greenhouse gas emissions.",{"type":585,"attrs":784,"content":785},{"textAlign":49},[786],{"text":787,"type":590},"By contrast, this renewable energy mix scenario would only reduce carbon emissions for HPAL by 3.2%. This is because a lot of the route’s overall carbon emissions are inherent to the smelting process and cannot be easily eliminated.",{"type":585,"attrs":789,"content":790},{"textAlign":49},[791],{"type":723,"attrs":792},{"id":49,"alt":725,"src":793,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":794},"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/A7SiFoaSLZr8gPS16TNPrlGfahyAj-TXChKJqpes_v8wrVhjFIAGv_yX2N0zFhTFJK60KAsmqf_EnscoHBcY0F1aaHE9Clyo-c3SM0EOflIUh2o1swvw1UCVmi7LP7Yvz5Umuq-WGpXhDlf6aAZAKNc",{},{"type":585,"attrs":796,"content":797},{"textAlign":49},[798],{"text":799,"type":590},"“As it stands, RKEF is ‘worse’ than HPAL in terms of global warming potential, however the latter is harder to decarbonise,” explained Kremer-Nidzelskaya. ",{"type":585,"attrs":801,"content":802},{"textAlign":49},[803],{"text":804,"type":590},"RKEF’s emissions would still not be lower than that of HPAL’s even with decarbonised energy. Yet the emissions gap between the two processes would narrow under a cleaner power grid scenario, highlighting how sustainability cannot easily be reduced to the single metric of global warming potential when other impacts are at play. ",{"type":585,"attrs":806,"content":807},{"textAlign":49},[808],{"text":809,"type":590},"Full LCA results are needed to assess the overall impact of a route, with decision-making likely to involve trade-offs between different kinds of impacts. Weighting which environmental impacts should be given priority will depend on geographical specificities and what factors, like electricity power sources, are the most significant contributors to the different categories, according to Kremer-Nedzelskaya.",{"type":585,"attrs":811,"content":812},{"textAlign":49},[813],{"text":814,"type":590},"For example, terrestrial acidification is important in evaluating Indonesia’s nickel as its coasts host highly endemic coral ecosystems that would be damaged by acid run-off. Even refineries located inland could contaminate freshwater streams.",{"type":663,"attrs":816,"content":817},{"level":665,"textAlign":49},[818],{"text":819,"type":590},"Data gaps hamper nature risk monitoring",{"type":585,"attrs":821,"content":822},{"textAlign":49},[823],{"text":824,"type":590},"Lack of data is one of the biggest obstacles to mitigating nature risks associated with nickel refining. ",{"type":585,"attrs":826,"content":827},{"textAlign":49},[828],{"text":829,"type":590},"Of the 47 refined nickel producers operating in Indonesia assessed by Benchmark, 11 release ESG reports but only four release use biodiversity indicators to monitor biodiversity. ",{"type":585,"attrs":831,"content":832},{"textAlign":49},[833],{"text":834,"type":590},"More worryingly, only two of the 11 conduct LCAs, a comprehensive and quantitative method that accounts for impacts across the entire refining process.",{"type":585,"attrs":836,"content":837},{"textAlign":49},[838],{"text":839,"type":590},"Benchmark’s LCA practitioner Bruna Grossl notes that without LCAs, a refiner’s ESG reports may only discuss environmental issues qualitatively or by using limited data covering just their own production. Only an LCA can reveal full, embedded impacts – for example, the environmental footprints that come with manufacturing the chemical inputs used in a refinery.",{"type":585,"attrs":841,"content":842},{"textAlign":49},[843],{"text":844,"type":590},"Part of why nature risks remain neglected in corporate monitoring and disclosure is that international guidelines have been slower to develop than procedures for reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. ",{"type":585,"attrs":846,"content":847},{"textAlign":49},[848],{"text":849,"type":590},"Harmonised procedures for reporting on greenhouse gas emissions have existed since 2018, when the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures released guidelines. There are currently no equivalent standards for reporting nature risks although the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is due to release the first framework on this in September 2023. ",{"type":585,"attrs":851,"content":852},{"textAlign":49},[853],{"text":854,"type":590,"marks":855},"Editor’s note: The article was updated to clarify that the EU Critical Minerals Act does reference LCAs and potential future LCA requirements, but that they have not developed a system for implementing this yet.",[856],{"type":857},"italic","Nickel refining in Indonesia can severely pressure natural ecosystems, according to Benchmark’s global nickel life cycle assessment, underlining the need to look beyond global warming impacts when evaluating the battery metal’s sustainability. An Indonesia-to-China production route that uses the high pressure acid leaching (HPAL) method ranked second worst among seven production routes analysed by Benchmark […]",[860],{"slug":573,"name":574,"content":861},{"job_title":576,"image":862,"bio":579,"linkedin":580},{"filename":578},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"f835ceab-3c51-4323-8643-a0c994967fa2\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[866,869,871],{"slug":867,"name":868},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":870,"name":150},"nickel",{"slug":872,"name":873},"sustainability","Sustainability","private",{"id":49,"alt":725,"name":725,"focus":725,"title":725,"source":725,"filename":876,"copyright":725,"fieldtype":877,"meta_data":878,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/91272987cb/bm-morowali-1.jpg","asset",{"alt":725,"title":725,"source":725,"copyright":725},"Jul 18, 2023","18th July 2023",[],[],1784294256800]