According to preliminary estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS), global nickel production at mines reached 3.3 million mt in 2022, up 21% compared to 2.73 million mt in 2021.
Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, topped with 1.6 million mt of nickel output, up 54% on an annual basis. It is followed by the Philippines (330,000 mt) and Russia (220,000 mt).
USGS said that the surge in nickel production in Indonesia was facilitated by the ongoing commissioning of NPI and stainless steel projects. In addition, some Indian companies continued to develop projects to produce intermediate matte or mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide that were intended to be used as feedstock to produce battery-grade nickel sulfate.
