Taganito HPAL (THPAL): a nickel operation in the Philippines
Taganito HPAL (THPAL) is a high-pressure acid leach plant producing nickel in Taganito, Surigao del Norte, Philippines. The sources report 27.5 kt nickel content in mixed sulfide (MS), THPAL for FY2025 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026); the basis is 100% basis (table heading "Production and Sales of Smelting & Refining Segment (100% basis)"). In nickel content, whole-operation output for FY2025 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026) is 27,500 tonnes: about 0.7% of world nickel output in 2025 and about 10% of the Philippines'; it is one of 8 operations on this site whose output can be stated in nickel content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sumitomo Metal Mining | 75% | 2025 |
| Mitsui & Co., Ltd. | 15% | 2025 |
| Nickel Asia Corporation | 10% | 2025 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026) | 27.5 kt nickel content in mixed sulfide (MS), THPAL | 100% basis (table heading "Production and Sales of Smelting & Refining Segment (100% basis)") | PDF p.40, Appendix table 12, row "THPAL MS Production (Ni content)", FY2025 Total; PDF p.11 summary · Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. |
| FY2024 (Apr 2024 to Mar 2025) | 24.3 kt nickel content in mixed sulfide (MS), THPAL | 100% basis | PDF p.40, same row, FY2024 Total · Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. |
Between FY2024 (Apr 2024 to Mar 2025) and FY2025 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026) the reported figure rose by 13.2%, in the same unit and on the same basis.
How the nickel-content figure is worked out. Sumitomo Metal Mining prints 27.5 thousand tonnes of nickel content in mixed sulfide for THPAL on a 100% basis, for its fiscal year April 2025 to March 2026, rounded to the nearest 100 tonnes. World mine production of nickel in 2025 was 3,900,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); the Philippines produced 270,000 tonnes.
The period (FY2025 (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026)) is not the calendar year of the USGS totals (2025), so the shares are approximate.
Status: operating, as of 31 March 2026.
- The figure comes from Sumitomo Metal Mining, the 75% owner; the period is its fiscal year to March 2026, not a calendar year.
- The figure is nickel in the processed product (nickel pig iron, ferronickel, mixed hydroxide or sulfide), not nickel mined, and it is compared with USGS mine production, so the share of world output is indicative.
How does it compare?
Other nickel operations on this site: Weda Bay Nickel, Société Le Nickel (SLN), Nickel Industries' four RKEF plants, Huayue Nickel Cobalt (nickel), Antam ferronickel, Kolaka, Coral Bay Nickel (CBNC), Nornickel group (Norilsk and Kola), Sudbury (Vale), Thompson (Vale), Voisey's Bay (Vale), Onça Puma, Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore). In the Philippines: Coral Bay Nickel (CBNC). See where nickel comes from for the country totals, the country page for Philippines.
Sources
- Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.: Integrated Report 2025 (integrated report, FY2024 (to March 2025) with later events to 2025). Opened 3 November 2026; used: PDF pp.3, 64, 66, 158.
- Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.: FY2025 Q4 (Year Ending March 31, 2026) Explanation Material of Financial Summary (for Conference Call), 11 May 2026 (results presentation, FY2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), FY2024 comparatives). Opened 3 November 2026; used: PDF pp.11, 40.
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Nickel (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in nickel content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every nickel mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.