Nornickel has unveiled its strategy for the development of palladium-based technologies at the PGMs Industry Day, an international conference held in South Africa. The company’s experts shared insights into new technological developments that have the potential to redefine the use of platinum group metals (PGMs) extracted on the African continent, particularly in the fields of energy, electronics, and green technology.
The presentation attracted considerable interest from conference participants. Industry representatives noted the practical relevance of Nornickel’s innovations for the market, as well as the significant potential of palladium in emerging high-tech applications.
Nornickel is the world’s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel, and one of the leading global suppliers of platinum, copper, cobalt, and other precious and base metals. The company’s Palladium Centre focuses on the development and implementation of innovative palladium-based solutions aimed at enhancing industrial efficiency.
Palladium is the most extracted metal among the PGMs and benefits from a geographically diversified supply chain. Russia and South Africa, the two major producing regions, ensure stable global supply.
From a chemical perspective, PGMs complement each other in many applications. Nornickel’s research shows that palladium alloys with other PGMs frequently outperform individual metals in terms of efficiency and durability.
Nornickel’s approach to palladium innovation is closely aligned with key global megatrends: the energy transition, sustainable development, and digitalisation. Promising application areas include solar and hydrogen energy, biofuels, and next-generation electronics, where palladium can help reduce the cost of conductive components, hard drives, and OLED displays. In existing markets, the company is focused on improving performance and economics for end users.
Nornickel is actively building a global partnership network to co-develop and commercialise palladium-based solutions. The company is committed to long-term collaboration with scientists, manufacturers, and end users to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies and products.
“Our goal is to become a technological partner for producers of PGM-based products. We focus on identifying applications where palladium delivers a strong competitive edge, bringing together leading scientific teams to develop prototypes, conducting large-scale industrial trials, optimising the product, and transferring the technology to manufacturers. This approach allows us to create more efficient materials and open up new markets for palladium applications,” said Dmitry Izotov, CEO of Nornickel’s Palladium Centre.
Since its launch, the Centre has built a portfolio of 25 products. By 2030, the portfolio is expected to exceed 100 projects, generating an additional annual demand of 40–50 tonnes of palladium.
Africa Fact: The Ethiopian city of Axum has a series of 7 giant obelisks that date from perhaps 300 BC to 300 AD. They have details carved into them that represent windows and doorways of several storeys. The largest obelisk, now fallen, is in fact “the largest monolith ever made anywhere in the world”. It is 108 feet long, weighs a staggering 500 tons, and represents a thirteen-storey building.
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James Endersby has grown research and insights agency, Opinium Research, from a small London start-up to an international insight agency with clients all over the world, including South Africa. His business grew 50 percent last year, and won an international research award for its work with the London School of Economics measuring democratic engagement around the world. Endersby helps build better futures for children from the poorest countries in the world in his postition as Interim Chairman for Street Kids International.