PT Vale Indonesia Tbk and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. today announced an agreement with Ford Motor (NYSE:F) starting a three-party collaboration to advance nickel production in Indonesia, possibly making electric vehicle batteries more affordable. All three companies are putting equity investments in the Pomalaa Block High-Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) Project through an agreement celebrated today at a ceremony with Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
The Pomalaa Block HPAL Project will process ore provided by PT Vale Indonesia from its Pomalaa Block mine to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate – MHP. This HPAL plant will operate under PT Kolaka Nickel Indonesia in the Pomalaa Block nickel industrial area in Kolaka, Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia. Subject to regulatory approval, it could produce up to 120 kilotons per year of contained nickel in MHP, a lower-cost nickel product used in EV batteries with nickel-rich cathodes.
“This framework gives Ford direct control to source the nickel we need – in one of the industry’s lowest-cost ways – and allows us to ensure the nickel is mined in line with our company’s sustainability targets, setting the right ESG standards as we scale,” said Lisa Drake, vice president for Ford Model e EV industrialization. “Working this way puts Ford in a position to help make EVs more accessible for millions and to do it in a way that helps better protect people and the planet,” claimed Drake. Unmentioned by Drake is that Vale is conducting research in bio-leaching, which eliminates acid for leaching metals from ore by using bacteria to convert the metals such as nickel into a soluble form.
Pomalaa Block HPAL Project early site preparations have started. Full construction is expected to start this year, with commercial operations beginning in 2026. “The collaboration will deliver materials essential for the auto industry’s shift to EVs, enhance Indonesia’s EV manufacturing industry and support Ford’s plan to deliver a 2 million EV production run rate by the end of 2026 and further scale over time,” Ford Motor said in a release.
This agreement today is the continuation of PT Vale Indonesia’s Pomalaa Block ground-breaking last November. This block is a National Strategic Project with an investment of up to Indonesian rupiah 67.5 trillion and is expected to generate 12,000 construction jobs.
The three-way nickel processing project – together with a separate supply agreement under development with Ford and Huayou for a precursor cathode active material critical to manufacturing lithium-ion batteries – collectively will combine with Ford’s other sourced nickel, “significantly contributing to support its EV production targets by the end of 2026.”
Ford Collaborates with Chinese Huayou on EV Battery Nickel
PT Vale Indonesia Tbk and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. today announced an agreement with Ford Motor (NYSE:F) starting a three-party collaboration to advance nickel production in Indonesia, possibly making electric vehicle batteries more affordable. All three companies are putting equity investments in the Pomalaa Block High-Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) Project through an agreement celebrated today at a ceremony with Indonesia President Joko Widodo.
The Pomalaa Block HPAL Project will process ore provided by PT Vale Indonesia from its Pomalaa Block mine to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate – MHP. This HPAL plant will operate under PT Kolaka Nickel Indonesia in the Pomalaa Block nickel industrial area in Kolaka, Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia. Subject to regulatory approval, it could produce up to 120 kilotons per year of contained nickel in MHP, a lower-cost nickel product used in EV batteries with nickel-rich cathodes.
“This framework gives Ford direct control to source the nickel we need – in one of the industry’s lowest-cost ways – and allows us to ensure the nickel is mined in line with our company’s sustainability targets, setting the right ESG standards as we scale,” said Lisa Drake, vice president for Ford Model e EV industrialization. “Working this way puts Ford in a position to help make EVs more accessible for millions and to do it in a way that helps better protect people and the planet,” claimed Drake. Unmentioned by Drake is that Vale is conducting research in bio-leaching, which eliminates acid for leaching metals from ore by using bacteria to convert the metals such as nickel into a soluble form.
Pomalaa Block HPAL Project early site preparations have started. Full construction is expected to start this year, with commercial operations beginning in 2026. “The collaboration will deliver materials essential for the auto industry’s shift to EVs, enhance Indonesia’s EV manufacturing industry and support Ford’s plan to deliver a 2 million EV production run rate by the end of 2026 and further scale over time,” Ford Motor said in a release.
This agreement today is the continuation of PT Vale Indonesia’s Pomalaa Block ground-breaking last November. This block is a National Strategic Project with an investment of up to Indonesian rupiah 67.5 trillion and is expected to generate 12,000 construction jobs.
The three-way nickel processing project – together with a separate supply agreement under development with Ford and Huayou for a precursor cathode active material critical to manufacturing lithium-ion batteries – collectively will combine with Ford’s other sourced nickel, “significantly contributing to support its EV production targets by the end of 2026.”