Nickel miner Australian Mines hopes to lock in funds for a planned A$1.3-billion ($935 million) battery materials plant by end-June, its chief executive said, despite volatile prices that have crimped lending to the new energy sector.
The company is talking with South Korean battery maker SK Innovation to finalise an offtake agreement after reaching a preliminary deal in March 2018. At the same time, it is chasing lenders for its Sconi nickel-cobalt chemicals project in northern Australia.