Sudbury nickel ore: Nickel mine production increased by 900 tonnes y/y, with nickel mine productivity reaching 11,800 tonnes/d in March, the highest level since 2017.
Thompson nickel ore: Finished nickel production decreased 400 tonnes on-year due to the positive impact of the transition of Thompson nickel concentrate processing from Sudbury to Long Harbour in 1Q22. Thompson concentrate processing was transitioned from Sudbury Nickel to Long Harbour, where both plants were processing Thompson concentrate.
Voisey's Bay nickel ore (Voisey's Bay nickel ore) : Finished nickel production is down 3,200 tons annually due to a transition period for nickel. The transition period between the depletion of the Ovoid mine and the full production of the Voisey's Bay underground project. Vale's planned maintenance of Voisey's Bay and Long Harbour operations in 2Q23 is expected to have an impact on production at Voisey's Bay and Thompson nickel mines in the current quarter.
the Third Parties nickel: Finished nickel production increased by 2,200 tons annually, mainly as consumption from third parties is expected to remain high through 2023. In order to maximize utilization and performance of the downstream business, third party feed consumption is expected to remain at a higher level than in recent years.
Indonesia nickel ore: Finished nickel production fell 3,600 tonnes on-year due to a slightly longer planned shutdown at the Matsusaka Refinery. As a result of the direct impact of the planned shutdown of maintenance in 1Q23 on the direct sales of ice nickel from 2Q22 to 1Q23, the production of finished nickel decreased by 0.36 million tons compared to the same period last year. Ice nickel production increased 22 percent to 16,800 tons in 1Q23 due to the completion of the furnace reconstruction program (December 2021 - June 2022 completion).
Onca Puma nickel (Nickel) : Production was down 500 KMT on-year due to furnace repairs made in 1Q23 in preparation for furnace rebuilding in the second half of the year.
Nickel sales volume increased by 1.1 kilotons year-over-year as sales volume in 1Q22 was impacted by inventory held to meet sales commitments in 2Q22.
The average realized nickel price for the quarter was $25,260 / ton, an increase of 14% over the same period last year, primarily due to higher premium for Category 1 nickel products and the positive impact of hedging, with the average strike price reaching $34,929 / ton during the quarter.
