Thousands of Jobs At Risk: Nickel Industry on Life Support Amid Flood of Indo-Chinese Supply

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook is scrambling to deal with the potential closure of another major nickel mine, as global prices plummet.

A view of a new nickel sulphate plant that global miner BHP Group is building at its Nickel West operations at the south of Perth in Australia on Aug., 2, 2019. Melanie Burton/Reuters

Australia’s nickel industry is in danger of collapse as Indonesia—with Beijing’s support—ramps up supply, causing prices to fall sharply.

The situation has forced mining giant BHP to write down the value of its nickel business to zero, warning that a full suspension of business activity was possible, placing 3,000 jobs at risk.