[LeifCarrotson]

It'll hurt the nickel industry!

Seriously, though, like any commodity, dumping lots of excess nickel on the market could force mines to shut down if they can't weather the temporary explosion from a temporary demand spike in cobalt due to this lithium concept. Then when the explosion stopped, cobalt mining slowed down, you'd coast on excess reserves for a while.

When those reserves run out, suddenly you need nickel but the mines haven't been profitable for a decade, it takes time to restart surveying activity, procure specialized equipment, find/train employees...you can't turn it back on like a switch. But you can almost turn it off like a switch with new tech that obsoletes an industry.