Arabic version: اقتراب مراجعة بي إتش بي لمصهر النيكل في كالغورلي

According to ABC News, BHP is expected to complete its review of its mothballed Nickel West operations by February 2027, leaving the future of Western Australia’s Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter unclear. The smelter has been on care and maintenance since late 2024, when BHP temporarily suspended operations after 51 years.

WA Liberal MP Rick Wilson, whose electorate of O’Connor includes Kalgoorlie-Boulder, has called for Commonwealth financial support for Australia’s only nickel smelter. He said nickel is classified as a strategically important mineral and questioned why assistance had not been offered to the industry while support had been provided to metal smelters elsewhere.

In the past year, the federal government has committed funding to support four east-coast smelters, including a $2.5 billion deal announced last week for Tomago Aluminium. In a statement supplied to the ABC, the office of Industry Minister Tim Ayres described nickel as an important critical mineral with a key role in Australia’s industrial future, saying the Commonwealth continued to work with state governments and facility owners.

City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder mayor Glenn Wilson, who chairs the Australian Mining Cities Alliance, questioned whether government bailouts offered lasting support for affected communities. The pressure on the sector also extends to WA’s remaining nickel mines: IGO’s Nova nickel-copper mine is set to close by the end of the year and become a lithium processing facility, while Glencore wrote down the value of its Murrin Murrin operation to zero on August 5.

BHP’s annual report said it was assessing a potential divestment of its Western Australian nickel assets. It said any divestment decision would be assessed against alternatives including continuing the temporary suspension, restarting operations or closing them. Only a handful of the 3,500-strong Nickel West workforce remained when the smelter was mothballed.