Indonesia's nickel ore imports surge 51% in '25, Philippines seen filling '26 gap

Indonesia's nickel ore imports jumped sharply in 2025, with domestic industry projections for this year pointing to even greater reliance on foreign supply particularly from the Philippines due to Jakarta's significant cut in approved domestic production quotas.

According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the country's cumulative nickel ore imports reached 15.84 million wet metric tonnes (wmt) last year for a year-on-year increase of 51.3%. Imports from the Philippines alone accounted for 15.33 million wmt, or 96.8% of the total volume, valued at $725.17 million. This