In April, domestic nickel inventories at major Chinese ports saw a decline of 1.28 million tons, bringing the total to 19.3 million tons. This decrease was smaller compared to March’s drop, indicating a slower rate of reduction. Indonesia's nickel ore stockpiles fell significantly by 162,000 tons, reaching 13.48 million tons from 15.1 million tons at the end of March. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ nickel ore inventory increased by 340,000 tons, rising to 5.82 million tons from 5.48 million tons. The increase in Philippine imports contributed to a more pronounced rise in domestic port inventories toward the end of April.
Tianjin Port and Lianyungang experienced the most significant inventory reductions in April, with decreases of 500,000 and 450,000 tons respectively.
Currently, domestic nickel ore stocks are primarily composed of port-based reserves and raw material holdings by downstream nickel pig iron producers. These two categories often overlap. When assessing the availability of nickel ore for domestic pig iron manufacturers, two key factors stand out.
First, lateritic nickel ore inventories remain substantial, but high-nickel ore is concentrated among a few large-scale nickel pig iron producers or integrated nickel-pig iron and stainless steel companies. Most of these large producers have sufficient raw material stocks to last 4–5 months, with some even having supplies for over a year. In contrast, small and medium-sized manufacturers hold much smaller inventories, often enough for only one or two months.
Second, nickel ore imports from the Philippines are expected to rise in the coming year. A large volume of low-nickel, high-iron ore from the Philippines is anticipated to enter the market. These lower-grade ores are better suited for smelting low-grade nickel pig iron and are sometimes classified as iron ore. Additionally, it is projected that China will import up to 15 million tons of medium- to high-grade nickel ore from the Philippines this year. Due to tight supply conditions and rising LME nickel prices, the price of high-grade nickel ore from the Philippines has surged, leading to higher raw material costs for pig iron manufacturers.
Dry Floor Fountain,Musical Fountain,Outdoor Water Features,Music Dancing Fountain
Guangzhou Dewy water fountain Technology Co., LTD , https://www.dewyfountain.com