GEM, Vale to build $1.42 billion net-zero nickel plant in Indonesia

China's GEM Co., a producer of battery materials, has signed an agreement with global mining giant Vale's Indonesian unit to develop a $1.42 billion net-zero nickel processing plant in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The deal was inked on November 10 under the Indonesian president's witness, Mysteel Global learned from a statement from GEM.

The planned facility will use high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) technology to process nickel laterite ore from Vale's operations into some 66,000 tonnes of mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) annually. MHP is a critical feedstock for battery-grade nickel sulfate, primarily used in electric vehicle batteries. To meet growing global demand for sustainable