知情人士称，多家中国镍生产企业的高层计划于周二前后会面，讨论在印尼的电池材料厂协同减产。
Top executives at several Chinese nickel producers plan to meet as early as Tuesday to discuss coordinated output cuts at their battery material plants in Indonesia, according to people familiar with the matter.
知情人士透露，包括青山控股集团有限公司、格林美股份有限公司、凌杰资源科技有限公司和浙江华友钴业股份有限公司在内的企业计划最终确定所需减产规模，因金属价格疲软导致其高压酸浸（HPAL）作业盈利能力受挫。知情人士表示，此举是在8月份就类似提议举行会谈之后进行的，但当时未能达成协议。
Companies including Tsingshan Holding Group Co., GEM Co., Lygend Resources & Technology Co. and Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. plan to finalize the scale of the cuts needed, as weak metals prices hamper profitability at their high-pressure acid leaching operations, the people said, declining to be named as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly. It follows a meeting in August to discuss a similar proposal, which didn’t produce an agreement.
HPAL工艺生产混合氢氧化物沉淀（MHP），其中含有可提炼为电池级材料的镍和钴。知情人士称，这些公司可能基于现有运行速率讨论减产。知情人士补充说，细节仍可能变动，且无法保证会议一定会举行或一定能达成协议。四家公司尚未就置评请求作出即时回应。
The HPAL process produces mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), which contains nickel and cobalt that can be refined into battery-grade materials. The companies are likely to discuss reducing output based on existing run rates, the people said. Details are still subject to change and there’s no guarantee that the meeting will happen nor that an accord can be reached, the people added. The four companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments.
中国企业在印尼镍业投入巨资，该国产量占全球一半以上，但今年形势变得更加艰难。
Chinese firms have invested heavily in Indonesia’s nickel industry, which accounts for over half the world’s output, but conditions have become more difficult this year.
印尼政府收紧了矿产配额并提高了矿石价格以增加财政收入，压缩了企业利润空间。伊朗战争导致硫磺成本上升——硫磺是HPAL工艺的关键要素——而水资源短缺也扰乱了生产。
The government has tightened mining quotas and hiked ore prices to generate more revenue, squeezing margins. The Iran war has increased the cost of sulfur — a key element in the HPAL process — while water shortages have also disrupted operations.
MHP的价格与镍和钴基准价挂钩，而这两种金属价格今年均有下跌。伦敦金属交易所的镍价较5月峰值已下跌约20%，其中自8月以来出现另一次显著下跌；钴价已跌至一年低点。
MHP is priced against benchmarks for nickel and cobalt, which have fallen this year. Nickel on the London Metal Exchange has declined around 20% from its May peak, including another steep drop-off since August, while cobalt has hit a one-year low.