Exploration Breakthrough and Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Nickel Resources

Nickel resources are vital for national economic development. As the largest consumer of nickel metal worldwide, China faces a scarcity of nickel metal raw materials which depend highly on imports. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve breakthroughs in nickel resource exploration, promote the comprehensive development and utilization of nickel resources, and broaden import channels, to ensure a secure and stable supply of nickel resources. Based on the analysis of the latest data of the nickel industry, this study reviews the nickel resource endowments and the status of nickel supply and demand in China and abroad, and summarizes the genetic types, spatiotemporal distribution, and prospecting potentials of nickel ore deposits. It also analyzes the issues facing the development and supply security of China’s nickel resource industry, and proposes key technologies for nickel exploration as well as development paths for the comprehensive utilization of nickel resources. To ensure the stable supply and safe development of nickel resources in China, countermeasures are proposed from both international and domestic aspects. Internationally, it is necessary to stabilize the important nickel resource import markets represented by Indonesia and the Philippines, increase investment in mining projects overseas to enhance the international competitiveness of Chinese enterprises, and strengthen international cooperation to diversify the channels for nickel resource imports. Domestically, the following suggestions are proposed: (1) increasing nickel resource exploration, (2) promoting the comprehensive utilization of nickel resources to increase the utilization rate of recycled nickel resources, (3) optimizing traditional technical processes and adjusting the industrial structure, (4) strengthening nickel reserve bases to ensure effective increase in reserves; and (5) encouraging research on mining technologies of potential nickel ores such as ferromanganese nodules on the ocean floor.