* The plant, on the island of Obi, is one of a number ofHPAL projects in top nickel miner Indonesia being closelywatched by a market counting on them as a source of supply forthe burgeoning electric-vehicle battery sector. * Lygend, which operates the project with Harita Group, saidmaterial was fed into the plant's first autoclave on Tuesday andthe first batch of mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) product wasexpected to be produced in mid-May. * Its customers include Chinese battery material makers GEMCo and Beijing Easpring. * Lygend had planned to commission the project last year butpushed back the launch date after the coronavirus outbreakslowed work.

(Reporting by Tom Daly)