The ore was very close to nickel. They had a bit in Alterra, but they were in small quantities. Judging by the size of the ore here, then she could be sure the mines weren't small.
Nickel was very useful to add in alloys. It was corrosion-resistant, strong, heat-resistant, and so on. They used it in stainless steel production, batteries, and other things.
Of course, not many people would know how to use this. It just so happened that the region around had a lot of black metal mines, so it was not too difficult to think they developed some improvements into their products. If they didn't know this had a use, they would not treat the ores with care.
In any case, this metal was indeed a good thing, and Alterra, which equipped each guard with a minimum of Class D equipment, needed more of this.
