48 
Preliminary data indicate that in 1974 the United States imported — 
76 percent of the 244,000 tons (including scrap) of nickel it con- 
sumed.?? During the period 1970-73 the major import sources were: 
Canada 76 percent, Norway 8 percent, others, mainly the United King- 
dom, South Africa, and Southern Rhodesia 16 percent (Norway’s raw 
material is nickel-copper matte from Canada). The United States 
produces only about 7 percent of its nickel requirements and recycles 
about 14 percent from scrap. Consumer stocks are estimated at 30,000 
short tons of metal. Nickel is not curently stockpiled by the U.S. 
Government. 
U.S. Bureau of Mines projections indicate domestic demand for 
nickel is expected to increase at an annual rate of about 3 percent 
through 1980.°° Domestic production is expected to remain at the level 
set in the last 5 years. Barring unforeseen shortages and future cartels 
(see section on possible cartel action) supplies should be available 
from relatively secure foreign sources at prices comparable to those 
now prevailing. In 1972, the United States imported 24.6 percent of 
the world nickel production and produced 2.4 percent. World mine 
production and reserves are given in Table 14. 
TABLE 14.—WORLD MINE PRODUCTION AND RESERVES 
[Short tons of nickel] 
Reserves (proven, indicated, 
Mine production inferred) 
4 Grade of ore 
County 1973 19741 Quantity percent 
United|StatesSc) 2. eee ae PS ee oe Onna 18, 272 17, 000 200, 000 0. 8-1. 3 
Canada____-_ Pe ed Se Ne ae nie a en a 268, 908 290, 000 8, 000, 000 1, 5-3 
New: Galedonia: 22.2 (US is his Ere he 109, 005 115, 000 15, 000, 000 1-5 
Othenfree: Worldisct -aFac eras | SERS ee ate 142, 629 145, 000 12, 000, 000 . 2-4.0 
Cuba Wass soee Bs re a ae aE Bes arse eee eee t= a 35, 000 35, 000 A, 200, 000 1.4 
Other Communist countries (except Yugoslavia) 1________ 152, 200 155, 000 10, 000, 000 4-4.0 
Worlditotalzso2*. S5se 2202 00e eke sire. ST 726, 014 757, 000 49,000, 000 ______________ 
1 Estimate. 
Source: Zbid., p. 111. 
_ There would appear to be no world supply problem to the year 2000 
since the probable reserves at current prices are three times the proba- 
ble cumulative demand. Supply is concentrated in a few industrialized 
countries. Canada, the Soviet Union, and France (New Caledonia) 
accounted for 74 percent of the world mine production in 1972. Devel- 
oping countries produced less than 13 percent of the world total in 
1972 but their output has been increasing. Developing countries may 
be assumed to produce as much as 20 percent of the world’s nickel by 
1 
Using the assumptions it developed, the U.N. report (A/CONF.62/ 
25) estimated that world nickel production from nodules might ac- 
count for about 18 percent of the total demand by 1985, Table 9. 
*U.S. Bureau of Mines. Commodity Data Summaries 1975, U.S. Govt. Print. Office, 
Washington, D.C. 1975, p. 110. 
30 Thid., p. 111. 
31 United Nations, A/CONF.62/25, op. cit., p. 34. 
