‘Invisible metal’: Dr Veronique Steukers on nickel’s value in a changing world
- 16 September 2026
Nickel’s role in stainless steel is vital but Dr Veronique Steukers sees the durable metal’s wider strategic importance growing in an era of significant change in nickel mining and processing.
The Nickel Institute’s (NI) president since early 2025, Belgian-born Steukers worked at the organisation for more than a decade before taking on the top leadership role. The chemist and musician said when she became president she wanted to advance the Nickel Institute’s mission “at a pivotal time for the nickel industry” and work closely with members to support “responsible and sustainable development of this essential material”.
Mining Beacon caught up with Steukers ahead of her attendance at Resourcing Tomorrow 2026.
Mining Beacon: These days we hear a lot about so-called “critical metals”. Why is nickel a critical mineral/metal?
Dr Veronique Steukers: Nickel is considered as a critical and/or strategic mineral in different economies around the world, such as Canada, EU, India, Japan, South Korea and the US. This is mostly based on the assessment of the economic importance that nickel plays in each jurisdiction as well as potential supply risks. These risks depend on, for example, whether there is domestic production, whether there is a global production concentration in a few regions, the geopolitical stability of those regions but also aspects such as whether there are substitutes for the specific uses and if recycling is feasible and efficiently done.
Nickel is of high economic importance as it is essential in the green and digital transition but also in defence applications. While there are limited supply risks and high recycling efficiencies, current geopolitical developments have an impact and nickel is essential in most applications.
Mining Beacon: What are the main issues in front of the Nickel Institute and its members today?
Dr Veronique Steukers: There are both challenges and opportunities for the NI and its members. Thanks to its outstanding properties such as the capability to store electricity, its high temperature resistance, or that it can withstand corrosive environments, it is of critical importance in the energy transition, the digital transition and in defence applications. Its manifold properties lend it to very innovative and diverse uses, such as batteries, stainless steels, low alloys steels which support mobility, critical infrastructure and low-energy technologies.
At the same time, questions have been raised specifically about mining and production of nickel which is energy and carbon intensive and, compared to 10 years ago, takes place in more sensitive environments with, for example, high biodiversity.
The key question is how to ensure that growth goes hand-in-hand with sustainability and responsible production. Nickel as a material comes with challenges and any company or region engaging in nickel production needs to understand these challenges as well as how to manage them.
Sustainability is nothing new. More than 40 years ago responsible companies showed leadership by forming the Nickel Institute to deal with the challenges related to production and use of nickel. And many companies continue to invest in the NI to tackle today’s questions because they recognise the responsibility with respect to the material they put on the market.
At a time when customers, investors and regulators are seeking assurance that critical minerals are produced responsibly, the credibility of the nickel industry will increasingly depend on the actions of those willing to lead. Companies, such as Nickel Institute members, that actively support initiatives aimed at improving ESG performance, harmonising standards, strengthening due diligence and advancing transparency send an important signal to the market.
Mining Beacon: How would you characterise this current period or era for the nickel industry versus other defining periods?
Dr Veronique Steukers: It is an era of change for both nickel production as well as nickel use.
Historically, nickel mining and production was widely spread over more than 30 countries on all continents with Canada, Russia, New Caledonia and Australia being major nickel producing regions. Over the past 10-15 years mine and metals production increasingly shifted towards countries in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is currently the major nickel mining country with more than 65% of all nickel mined there whereas China is the country where almost 70% of all nickel is going into use.
Stainless steel was and still is the predominant first use of nickel. With the energy transition there has been an increasing focus on nickel-containing batteries for electrical vehicles, which is now the second largest application for nickel worldwide.
Mining Beacon: You spoke at the Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference 2026 about the end-uses of nickel today. You wanted to emphasise its use in stainless steel (66% of all nickel going into this use) as well as other markets, including EV batteries (16%) and then nickel alloys, plating, catalysts and foundries making up the remaining 18%. Why is it important to better educate people, generally but including policy makers, about nickel’s uses?
Dr Veronique Steukers: Nickel is often described as the invisible metal. In many stainless-steel qualities nickel is a major alloying element with up to 10-12% nickel content to achieve certain properties. In lithium-ion batteries nickel is the major cathode material by far, especially in the high-capacity EV batteries.
The same applies to the other uses of nickel, for example, in plating, in catalysts or in other nickel containing alloys. One cannot imagine a world without nickel as it’s present in everyone’s daily life, be it in the kitchen, in the car, hospitals, food industry … Nickel-containing stainless steel is indispensable in food or medical applications to ensure the highest hygienic quality and avoid bacterial infection or contamination, which is critical in these two environments.
It is important to make these uses visible to stakeholders such as policy makers to help them understand what the function of nickel is and its criticality, but also what outstanding properties nickel brings to specific applications.
Mining Beacon: How will you up the ante in regard to your communication and messaging?
Dr Veronique Steukers: We use different communication tools to inform on nickel and its uses. The most prominent is the Nickel Magazine, which exists since more than 40 years and is published three times per year. The aim is to inform on nickel and its current and future uses. We also publish in various technical and scientific journals.
NI has also written numerous technical publications which are used as reference material.
In the most relevant jurisdictions we hold regular exchanges with stakeholder such as regulators and politicians but also civil society.
Mining Beacon: How has membership evolved, if at all, with events in Indonesia, Russia, Australia, etc?
Dr Veronique Steukers: The geopolitical situation is challenging for probably many commodity associations. Having said that, NI continues to see an interest from companies in joining and especially companies that are starting or will soon start production. This shows that these companies want to understand the material they put on the market from the start, they want to take responsibility for that material and invest in the future of that material which is an important signal to regulators, investors and the value chain.
Mining Beacon: How will the institute change in the next 5-10 years/why?
Dr Veronique Steukers: Nickel will continue to play an important role in the technologies of the future, thanks to its excellent properties. At the same time there will always be a role for an organisation like the NI to ensure that growth and sustainability go hand-in-hand. We have seen an evolution in science and regulation over the past 40 years and expect that that understanding will continue to evolve with new information and insights. As such nickel will need to be flexible and optimally structured to deal with the needs of, and create value for, its members.
Mining Beacon: What is your pitch to new members?
Dr Veronique Steukers: The Nickel Institute is the only global organisation dedicated to advancing the responsible production, use and market development of nickel. Membership gives companies access to world-leading expertise, regulatory influence, market intelligence, ESG guidance and a global network of industry leaders.
In a world of increasing regulatory scrutiny, ESG expectations, carbon footprint requirements and supply chain transparency demands, NI helps members navigate risks, demonstrate leadership and promote responsible and sustainable practices across the nickel value chain.
