Australian battery metal producer IGO Ltd said on Wednesday it would put its Cosmos nickel project in Western Australia into care and maintenance due to low prices, as it also trimmed its annual lithium production forecast.

Shares in Lifezone Metals, 17% owned by BHP, rose in the early hours of Monday’s trading session on news about a high-grade nickel discovery at its Kabanga project in northwest Tanzania.

Nickel Industries reported record quarterly output from its rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) projects.

Russian metals producer Nornickel on Monday said it expected a further decline in nickel output this year, hit by adverse geopolitical risks and postponed furnace repairs, following on from a drop in production in 2023.

Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King and Western Australian Minister for Mines David Michael met with nickel and lithium producers last week to discuss challenges facing the industry.

An Australian mining association has called for a new production tax credit during meetings with senior ministers called as nickel and lithium miners curtail projects and review new mines in response to a global slump in prices.

Exploration and development company FPX Nickel has closed the private placement financing with new cornerstone investor Sumitomo Metal Mining, raising C$14.45-million.

New Caledonian nickel producer Prony Resources is facing an “alarming” situation amid a slump in metal prices as it waits for the possibility France will offer monetary support for the territory’s nickel sector, a company spokesperson said.