🌟 The Strategic Importance of an MHP Plant

✔ Electric Vehicles
✔ Batteries
✔ AI Semiconductors
✔ Data Centers
✔ Nuclear Power & Fuel Reprocessing
✔ Shipbuilding & LNG
✔ Defense & Aerospace

Nickel is the common metal underpinning all of these critical industries.
In other words, whoever secures nickel controls the foundation of 21st-century strategic industries.

At the center of this reality lies the MHP plant.

1️⃣ The World Has Clearly Chosen the Path of “High-Nickel Batteries”

Hyundai Motor, Tesla, GM, Volkswagen, BYD, and all major global OEMs have adopted high-nickel NCM/NCA chemistries.

• NCM 811 → 80% Ni

• NCMA → 88–91% Ni

• Next-generation ultra-high-nickel batteries → 90%+ Ni

Nickel content in batteries continues to increase.
👉 Only countries that secure nickel can manufacture batteries.
👉 Nickel supply is the core battleground of the automotive and battery industries.

Our MHP plant is a strategic resource directly linked to Korea’s battery industry.

2️⃣ In the AI Era, Nickel Is Also Essential for Data Centers, GPUs, and Semiconductors

Today’s AI industry infrastructure—data centers, GPU manufacturing, cooling systems, and power infrastructure—is fundamentally dependent on nickel-based metals and alloys.

• Semiconductor equipment → nickel alloys

• GPU manufacturing processes → nickel-based chambers

• Data center cooling systems → nickel-alloy piping

• ESS backup batteries → high-nickel NCM batteries

In short:
AI growth = explosive growth in nickel demand.

If nickel supply is constrained, the AI industry itself will stall.
👉 MHP supply is essential infrastructure for the AI era.

3️⃣ Nickel Is a Core Metal for Nuclear Power, SMRs, and Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing

The United States, Korea, Japan, and the EU have officially declared a “nuclear renaissance.”

• SMRs (Small Modular Reactors)

• High-temperature gas reactors

• Nuclear fuel reprocessing

• Radioactive waste solidification

• Nuclear fusion reactors

None of these systems can be built without nickel-based super corrosion-resistant alloys.
In other words:
Nuclear expansion = surge in high-nickel alloy demand.

👉 A plant capable of supplying stable MHP is also critical to the nuclear and fuel-reprocessing industries.

4️⃣ Global Supply Chains Are Over-Concentrated in Indonesia — New Sources Are Needed

Currently, over 70% of global MHP production is concentrated in Indonesia.
However, Indonesia faces significant risks:

• Frequent project delays

• Environmental concerns

• Tailings management issues

• Potential export restrictions

From the perspective of Korea, Japan, and the United States, this represents a high-risk supply source.

Therefore, the emergence of a new, stable MHP plant in the Philippines is exactly what Korean companies are seeking.

👉 Our MHP plant is a new supply base sought by Korea, Japan, and Europe.

5️⃣ EO-Based MHP Is More Environmentally and Economically Efficient Than Conventional HPAL

We are actively researching Electric Oxidation (EO)–based MHP processes combined with advanced precipitation and refining technologies.

Key advantages include:

• Reduced sulfuric acid consumption

• Lower iron and manganese contamination

• Reduced wastewater and sludge generation

• Lower capital expenditure

• Simplified process flows

• Minimized tailings risk

The global market is demanding environmentally friendly MHP processes.
👉 Our technology can be evaluated as a next-generation MHP process.

6️⃣ What Korean Companies Need Most Today Is “Self-Controlled Nickel Supply”

POSCO, EcoPro, LG, SK, Korea Zinc, and LS MnM are all actively seeking to reduce long-term dependence on Indonesia due to:

• IRA compliance risks (U.S. export barriers)

• Indonesian policy uncertainty

• Price volatility

• Quality inconsistency

• Logistics challenges

What Korean companies want most is MHP that is:

✔ Close to Korea (Philippines)
✔ Stable and contract-secured
✔ High-grade (Ni 30–40%)
✔ IRA-friendly and exportable to the U.S.

👉 Our plant can become a core partner of Korea’s battery industry.

7️⃣ Global Electrification Is Driving Explosive Growth in Nickel Demand

According to IEA, Bloomberg, and Rystad, global nickel demand is projected to:

• Double by 2030

• Increase 3–5 times by 2040

High-nickel batteries, in particular, show an almost exponential growth curve.

👉 Nickel intermediates (MHP) will be among the most in-demand metals globally for the next 20–30 years.

🌟 Final Conclusion — Why Our MHP Plant Matters in This Era

✔ EVs, AI, semiconductors, nuclear power, shipbuilding, and defense all depend on nickel
✔ The time has come to move away from Indonesia-centric supply chains
✔ The Philippines is Korea’s most preferred alternative supply base
✔ Our process represents a more advanced, environmentally friendly MHP technology
✔ 2024–2030 is the era of explosive global nickel demand growth

Companies that build MHP plants during this period will secure the market for the next 20 years.

In short, building our MHP plant today is a decision where timing and strategic industry alignment perfectly converge.

What we are building is not merely a chemical plant—
it is core infrastructure that connects the future industries of Korea, the Philippines, and the global economy.

HPS Natural Resources Development Corp. plans to establish a Nickel Intermediate (MHP, Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate) production plant within the Polloc Freeport, located in Parang, Maguindanao Province, on the island of Mindanao.

Polloc Freeport is geographically situated along the southern coast of Illana Bay, providing natural protection from earthquakes, tidal waves, and tsunamis. The nearest city is Parang, approximately 4 km away, while Cotabato City is about 27 km from the site.

Polloc Freeport serves as a major gateway to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and is a key port in Central Mindanao. It was constructed in 1977 with funding support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and began operations in March 1980. At one time, it was considered one of the largest and most modern national ports outside Metro Manila. The freeport is currently managed by the BARMM Regional Economic Zone Authority.

A total area of 119 hectares has been designated for freeport facilities and business activities. The port is capable of handling standard container cargo as well as bulk and break-bulk cargo such as grain, cement, steel products, oversized cargo, and heavy equipment. With a water depth of 10.5 meters, Polloc Freeport is the only deep-water port in the BARMM region.

Key Features and Benefits

• Tax and Customs Incentives: Duty-free importation within the freeport; exemption from local and national taxes

• Investment Freedom: Up to 100% foreign ownership permitted (except for restricted sectors)

• Foreign Exchange Freedom: No foreign exchange controls; full repatriation of profits allowed

• Regional Economic Activation: Easy access to bulk cargo from Central Mindanao—particularly Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and coastal municipalities of Lanao del Sur—significantly reducing transportation costs

• International Trade Connectivity: Direct import and export routes

• Halal Industry Hub: Designated as the first Halal Economic Zone in the Philippines

• Job Creation: Employment generation through port operations and industrial zone development

• Industrial Park Development: Planned growth into a self-sustaining industrial complex with captive power generation

Polloc Freeport stands as a strategic hub driving the future economic growth of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and Mindanao, positioning itself as a central pillar of regional and national development.