mine · Indonesia

Sorowako

A long-established nickel laterite mining and smelting operation.

OperatingProductionProject score 72

Operator

Vale

Country

Indonesia

Mine life

25 yrs

Capex

—

Profile

Resource, economics and jurisdiction

Resource: Large laterite nickel resource.
Production: Around 70 kt of nickel in matte annually.
Economics: Hydro power gives a lower carbon and cost profile than coal-fired peers.
Infrastructure: Hydroelectric power supply and integrated smelter.
Jurisdiction: Moderate risk
Ownership: PT Vale Indonesia
Region: Sulawesi

Overview

A long-established nickel laterite mining and smelting operation.

Methodology

Version v0.1

Resource Quality: 71 (weight 1.2) — Grade, continuity and metallurgical complexity of the resource.
Project Scale: 71 (weight 1) — Annual output potential relative to the global market for its primary mineral.
Development Stage: 66 (weight 0.9) — How far the asset has advanced toward or through production.
Jurisdiction: 70 (weight 1.1) — Political stability, permitting predictability and rule of law.
Infrastructure: 68 (weight 0.9) — Access to power, water, transport and processing capacity.
Economics: 76 (weight 1.2) — Cost position and margin resilience through the price cycle.
Strategic Importance: 75 (weight 1) — Relevance to national critical mineral strategies and allied supply chains.
Supply-Chain Value: 80 (weight 1) — Whether the asset relieves a genuine downstream bottleneck.
Sustainability: 72 (weight 0.9) — Carbon intensity, water use, tailings approach and community standing.
Execution Risk: 69 (weight 1) — Technical, financing and schedule risk to reaching nameplate output. Higher is lower risk.

Materials

A corrosion-resistant metal essential to stainless steel and to high-energy-density battery cathodes.

Assets

A vast Arctic nickel-copper-palladium complex and the largest palladium source globally.

A high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide operation transitioning underground.

One of the largest nickel operations globally, anchoring an integrated industrial park.