All true for all to see ! Blackstone shelved the projects due to the major collapse in the price of nickel in 2007 through 2009. The permits were finally cancelled by the Swedish mining authority and both deposits came open for staking, and Gungnir quickly submitted applications to acquire both deposits in 2015. Jarri worked for Blackstone so knew these claims very well ! As for Lundin they did not get back into Nickel it appears until 2013 when they acquired a NA project !
Demand
The nickel market is a US$20+ billion per year industry. Today’s market is dominated by stainless steel with over two thirds of total production used in its production. However, nickel is a critical component in new battery technology used in electric vehicles. This section of the market is forecast to grow significantly over the coming years, and will reshape the nickel industry over the coming decades.
According to the World Bank report “Minerals for Climate Action: The Mineral Intensity for the Clean Energy Transition” the production of minerals such as nickel and cobalt, could increase by nearly 500% by 2050, to meet the growing demand for clean energy technologies. As the world moves to realise a lower-carbon future there will be a substantial increase in demand for several key minerals and metals to manufacture cleaner energy technologies. The clean energy transition will be significantly mineral intensive - nickel intensive.