French mining and metallurgical company Eramet will build a smelter for electric vehicle batteries at the Sonic Bay Project, located in Halmahera, North Maluku. The project, which is in partnership with the German chemical company BASF, plans to adopt High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) technology.
CEO of PT Eramet Indonesia Mining, Bruno Faour, explained that in addition to focusing on the HPAL project, his party is also aiming to invest in exploring new mining areas or green fields in Indonesia. According to him, Indonesia is a major player in the mining sector in the world, and is one of the largest countries in the extractive sector.
"In the future we will develop investment in Indonesia. We partnered with BASF to build HPAL to supply the electric vehicle industry. We also see opportunities, we are looking for several potential exploration targets," said Faour in Jakarta, Tuesday (6/9).
So far, Eramet has a business portfolio in Indonesia through PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), in collaboration with PT Antam Tbk and Tsingshan Group. Eramet started exploration in Halmahera with Antam in 2006. Then in 2017, conducted a joint venture with Tsingshan.
During WBN's journey, Eramet was recorded to have disbursed an investment of USD 300 million from 2006 to 2015. The investment was for exploration, development studies, and community development in North Maluku. “Eramet has invested in the mining sector since 2006, and has developed a nickel mine in Weda Bay. We partner with Tsingshan and Antam,” explained Faour.
As for the Sonic Bay Project, which adopts HPAL technology, it is targeted to complete licensing matters and reach a final investment decision this year. Then, enter the construction phase next year. Projections for production operations are announced in 2025. Its production capacity is estimated at 67 thousand tons of nickel and 7,500 tons of cobalt per year. The investment value is estimated at USD 2.2 billion to 2.6 billion
Source: https://www.tambang.co.id/bakal-bangun-hpal-eramet-bidik-eksplorasi-tambang-baru
