SMM Exclusive: Introduction of NPI and High-Grade Nickel Matte Projects to be Invested and Constructed in Indonesia in the Future

The NPI and high-grade nickel matte play a crucial role in the entire nickel industry chain. Traditionally, most of the NPI output is applied in the stainless steel market, with some usage in alloy casting and electroplating. In the emerging field of new energy, the demand for nickel from ternary lithium batteries is continuously rising, and the intermediate product that bridges NPI to the new energy sector is high-grade nickel matte. It is not difficult to predict that NPI and high-grade nickel matte will remain focus for investment in the non-ferrous metals market in the future. As such, SMM has summarized information about NPI and high-grade nickel matte projects in Indonesia, including capacity, construction timeline, geographical locations, etc., to gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation in Indonesia.

Nickel Industry Chain

About NPI:

As of 2022, there were a total of 14 NPI projects in production in Indonesia, with the output from Tsingshan in IWIP and IMIP, and Delong being the highest.

According to SMM's survey and statistics, there will be ten more NPI projects to be invested and constructed in Indonesia within the next three years, including both new projects and project expansions. The future capacity growth is expected to be substantial.

Approaching 2025, the NPI capacity will gradually approach saturation, and the growth rate will slow down.

About high-grade nickel matte:

As of 2022, Indonesia has a limited number of high-grade nickel matte projects, with only four in production. However, there is a significant disparity in output among them. As a leading enterprise with rich market experience, advanced production, and pioneering R&D processes, Tsingshan has a clear advantage in the layout of high-grade nickel matte projects and leads in terms of designed capacity and output.

In the next three years, there are plans to increase high-grade nickel matte production capacity, but the incremental growth is not very significant, and the high-grade nickel matte market is still under development.


Starting from 2022, there has been a noticeable increase in the number and production capacity of high-grade nickel matte projects.

Some of NPI research projects undettaken by SMM in the past are presented as follows:

Whole industry chain of nickel

Product supply and price prediction of nickel in Indonesia

Gglobal traditional demand for terminal products of nickel

Due diligence of investment

Technical due diligence of NPI production line in Indonesia

Analysis of major players among RKEF nickel smelting plants

If you would like to learn more about past projects and more customized requirements, you may have a detailed discussion with SMM Consulting. You may contact Project Manager Jiang Qianchun via phone at 15294607058 or email at jiangqianchun@smm.cn.