Indonesia's PT Weda Bay Nickel enters care and maintenance status in May 2026 due to severe mining quota restrictions. The 2026 extraction allowance dropped to 12 million wet metric tons, a substantial decrease from the 2025 level. This exhaustion of the permitted limit forces a halt to mine operations.

External sales reached 8.3 million wet metric tons during the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 54%. However, the quota limit for external sales was exhausted by mid-April, and the internal processing allowance would be depleted by mid-May.

Despite the mine suspension, nickel pig iron (NPI) production levels remain normal. The company maintains equipment and personnel during this downtime to preserve infrastructure, awaiting potential mining permit revisions.