Nickel Exports Surge 50.12% Through August 2026, Marking Record Growth
Thu 01 Oct 2026, 09:33 AM
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The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that exports of nickel and articles thereof recorded the highest increase in the January–August 2026 period, rising by USD 2.87 billion, or 50.12%, compared with the same period last year.
Exports under HS code 75 were recorded at USD 8.59 billion during the period.
Meanwhile, in August 2026, exports of nickel and its derivatives reached USD 1.35 billion, surging 51.67% compared with USD 889.1 million in the same period last year.
"The annual increase in export value in August 2026 was mainly driven by an increase in non-oil and gas export value, particularly several commodities, especially nickel and articles thereof under HS 75, which rose significantly, increasing 51.67% year on year and contributing 1.84% to the overall increase in exports," BPS Deputy for Distribution and Services Statistics Ateng Hartono said in a BPS release on Thursday (1/10/2026).
Exports of nickel and articles thereof in August 2026 also surged 93.87% compared with the previous month (month to month), when they were recorded at USD 695.6 million.
Previously, Eramet said semi-processed products from nickel ore in the form of nickel pig iron (NPI) from Indonesia had lost access to the European market due to the continent's carbon footprint regulations.
Indonesia's NPI industry is known to be heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants, which produce relatively high carbon emissions. Meanwhile, carbon costs in Europe have also increased.
The French mining group explained that the widening carbon cost gap would increasingly determine the export destinations for Indonesian NPI.
"Stricter European carbon regulations are further increasing the cost disadvantage for materials with high carbon intensity," Eramet said.
The European Union's (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has entered its definitive phase this year.
CBAM is a cross-border tariff or carbon tax policy imposed by the European Union on imported products based on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated during their production.
As a result, carbon intensity has become an increasingly crucial factor in the competitiveness of products containing nickel and stainless steel raw materials.
Eramet operates the PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) nickel mine in Indonesia, with a 37.8% stake.
For context, the cumulative quota for nickel ore production under this year's RKAB is in the range of 260 million tons to 270 million tons, down from last year's actual production of 320 million tons.
The Indonesian Nickel Industry Forum (FINI) estimates that production of Class 1 and Class 2 nickel metal in 2025 reached 2.46–2.5 million tons, up from actual production of 2.2 million tons in 2024.
FINI noted that Indonesia requires approximately 300 million tons of nickel ore to produce the 2.46 million tons of nickel metal.
Meanwhile, NPI exports under HS code 72026000 (ferro nickel) reached 11.56 million tons in 2025. Exports recorded under HS code 72015000 (alloy pig iron; spiegeleisen) reached 191.74 thousand tons during the same year.
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