A report issued by BHP Billiton (BHP) on July 21 showed that its nickel production (both from Nickel West, Australia) reached 80,100 tons in the 2020 fiscal year ending on June 30, a drop of nearly 8.4 from 87,400 tons in the previous fiscal year. %. Among them, the fourth quarter (June 2020) dropped by nearly 17% year-on-year and increased by about 14% month-on-month to 23,900 tons.
During the December 2019 season, the Kwinana refinery and Kalgoorlie smelter underwent overhauls, and the concentrator also underwent planned regular maintenance. In the March 2020 season, the production of the Kwinana Refinery and Kalgoorlie smelter climbed back to full capacity, and will run at full capacity in the June 2020 season.
In fiscal 2020, BHP Billiton's nickel sales were 79,600 tons, a decrease of approximately 8.7% from 87,200 tons in the previous fiscal year. Among them, the fourth quarter fell by about 15.5% year-on-year and increased by about 21.3% month-on-month to 23,900 tons.
In fiscal year 2020, the average selling price of nickel is US$13,860/ton, an increase of approximately 11% from US$12,462/ton in the previous fiscal year. Among them, the average price of nickel for January-June 2020 is US$12,459/ton, which is roughly the same year-on-year but a month-on-month decrease of about 21%.
As planned maintenance and transition to the new mine are now complete, nickel production in fiscal 2021 is expected to increase to 85,000-95,000 tons.
