Four Chinese Nickel Plants in Indonesia Suspend Operations After Landslide Incident
Production at four nickel plants operated by China's GEM Co. in the Morowali Industrial Park, Indonesia, has been temporarily halted after a landslide at a waste area killed one worker. This suspension affects plants that together represent 30% of Indonesia's high-pressure acid leaching capacity.
The shutdown at PT QMB New Energy Materials, where the incident occurred, could last up to three months. The Indonesian government has threatened to revoke the plant's environmental permit due to the accident.
Other operations by GEM in the area are under review and may resume in weeks. The three other suspended plants are part of joint ventures with local partners, and there are growing concerns regarding the environmental impact of HPAL processing in the region.
