Nickel output at Sumitomo's Ambatovy project at 7,000 T in first quarter

Sumitomo

31/07/2025 05:47

TOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp 8053.T produced around 7,000 metric tons of nickel at its Ambatovy project in Madagascar in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, it said on Thursday, keeping full-year output forecast unchanged.

The company produced around 8,000 tons of nickel in the first quarter last year.

Production was suspended in February for checks at a pipeline that broke last September. Operations gradually ramped up from April and fully stabilised in early May, the company said in its quarterly results presentation.

Sumitomo forecasts nickel production at the project in the mid-30,000-ton range this year, and plans a total plant shutdown from October to November for maintenance.

Sumitomo, which owns a 54.2% stake in the project companies, has struggled to stabilise production and boost profitability at Ambatovy.

 (Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Eileen Soreng)

 ((jekaterina.golubkova@thomsonreuters.com;))