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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Tom Levitt

Company supplying critical EV metal ‘did not disclose’ Erin Brockovich pollutant in drinking water

Aerial image of Kawasi village on Obi Island, Indonesia, with the Harita nickel mine in the background.
An aerial image shows deforestation around Harita Group’s nickel mine, and how close the plant is to Kawasi village: Obi Island, Indonesia. Photographs: Adlun Fiqri Pramadhani/The Guardian Photograph: Adlun Fiqri Pramadhani/The Guardian

One of Indonesia’s largest nickel-mining companies, which supplies a mineral critical to the global electric car industry, did not tell the public that local drinking water was polluted, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

Indonesia has become the world’s biggest producer of nickel, used in the production of wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. But observers have voiced concerns that regulatory oversight in the country has failed to keep up with the rush to develop mines to satisfy booming global demand.

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