China’s Imports of Nickel Hydrometallurgy Intermediate Products Soared in February

SHANGHAI, Apr 19 (SMM) – According to customs data, China imported 113,700 mt of nickel hydrometallurgy intermediate products in February, up 49% MoM and 202% YoY. The combined imports in January-February were 189,900 mt, or 22,300 mt in metal content (the calculation is based on the wet metric tonne; considering the difference in actual import declarations, the data may be lower than the actual data). Soaring demand from electrodeposition nickel producers shifted supply surplus in the nickel sulphate market into a deficit in the last week before the Chinese New Year (CNY), thus the demand for nickel hydrometallurgy intermediate products also rose significantly, which was reflected in the spike in February’s import volume.