Indonesia produced 535,200 metric tons of nickel in ferronickel and 71,400 tons of nickel matte in 2023, data from the mining ministry showed on Tuesday.The ferronickel output last year rose annually, but came below the 628,600 tons targeted for that year, the data showed.Image source: REUTERS/Yusuf AhmadSource: www.nasdaq.com/Indonesia produces 535,200 metric T of nickel in ferronickel in 2023 -mining ministry

PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. (INCO) targets the divestment of shares to MIND ID Mining SOE Holding to be completed in 2024.Filia Alanda, Corporate Secretary of INCO, said that the company had never received an ultimatum from the government regarding the divestment process. However, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) conveyed to INCO the importance of immediately completing the divestment process."The divestment process is one of the prerequisites to obtain an extension of the KK Contract of Work in the form of a special mining business license (IUPK) and provide certainty for Vale Indonesia's investment," he explained in a written statement, Thursday (1/18/2024).Regarding the divestment plan, INCO has submitted it on November 20, 2023. INCO together with Vale Canada Limited (VCL), PT Mineral Industri Indonesia (Persero) or MIND ID, and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd (SMM) have signed a Master Divestment Agreement.The agreement stipulates that VCL and SMM will transfer their proportional shareholding in INCO of around 14% to MIND ID. The transaction is expected to close in 2024."Until now, negotiations are still ongoing at the shareholder level and INCO is committed to supporting the completion of the divestment process within the targeted time," said Filia AlandaThis divestment is a requirement for the extension of KK to IUPK. The Company has applied for IUPK in April 2023 as a form of extension of the KK which will end in December 2025.Currently, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is still evaluating the company's application and supporting documents. The divestment process is currently ongoing at the majority shareholder level and INCO is committed to continue supporting the process as part of the IUPK issuance.On the other hand, currently INCO's operational activities are still running normally and there is no impact on the divestment process on operational activities.MEMR StatementPreviously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) Arifin Tasrif requested that the transaction of the remaining divestment obligations of PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. (INCO) be completed in the near future.Arifin said, the government would take other options if the obligation to divest INCO's foreign shareholders dragged on."We hope that the deal will be implemented soon. If it cannot be implemented in a relatively short time, we will think differently," Arifin said during a press conference in Jakarta, Monday (1/15/2024).However, Arifin was reluctant to specify other possibilities that would be taken by the government if the transaction of transferring foreign shares to the mining state-owned holding, PT Mineral Industri Indonesia (MIND ID) was deadlocked."That's just the signal," he said.Previously, in an official statement from INCO, the transaction of releasing 14% of shares to MIND ID was expected to be completed in 2024 subject to the usual closing conditions. Upon completion, MIND ID will become Vale Indonesia's largest shareholder with 34%.Meanwhile, Vale Canada Limited, as a subsidiary of Vale Base Metals Limited, will hold around 33.9% of the shares, while Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. will hold around 11.5%.Currently, Vale Canada Limited, as the controller of Vale Indonesia, holds 4.35 billion shares, or 43.79%. Then Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. owns 1.49 billion shares, or equivalently 15.03%.MIND ID's share ownership is currently recorded at 1.98 billion shares, or equivalent to 20%, while public ownership reaches 2.02 billion shares, or equivalent to 20.38%.Vale Base Metals Limited Chief Executive Officer and Vale President Commissioner Deshnee Naidoo said the divestment master agreement at the end of last year was a significant step towards fulfilling divestment obligations in Indonesia.Image source: Bisnis-Paulus Tandi BoneSource: www.market.bisnis.com/Vale Indonesia (INCO) Targetkan Divestasi ke MIND ID Rampung 2024

Astra Group entity in the mining sector, PT United Tractors Tbk. (UNTR), hoisted its gold production target in 2024 compared to the previous year.United Tractors Corporate Secretary Sara K. Loebis said UNTR has a gold sales target of 235,000 ounces throughout 2024. This target is higher than 2023, which is estimated at 175,000 ounces."Higher than in 2023, which is estimated to be 175,000 oz, but not final," he told Bisnis on Tuesday (1/16/2024).UNTR's gold business performance tended to decline last year. UNTR's gold mining business unit, run by PT Agincourt Resources, will decline in the 11-month period of 2023.Agincourt recorded that total gold equivalent sales from the Martabe gold mine decreased 36.82% yoy to 166,468 troy ounces as of November 2023, compared to the same period in 2022 of 263,492 troy ounces.Sara K. Loebis said that throughout 2024, UNTR will allocate capital expenditure of IDR 1.8 trillion for the development of gold business lines. The funds will be used for exploration activities and improvement of mining facilities throughout 2024."Capex is for exploration and improvement of mining facilities. There are no plans for the acquisition of gold mines," Sara saidUNTR currently has two gold mines in operation, the Martabe Mine in North Sumatra and Sumbawa Jutaraya (SJR) in Sumbawa.In the previous Business report, United Tractors Director Edhie Sarwono said that in early 2024, UNTR Group will start gold mining operations through PT Sumbawa Juta Raya (SJR). Production capacity is expected to reach 40,000 troy ounces per year."Next year's SJR gold mine will start operating, predicted in the second half of 2024. The initial production capacity is 40,000 troy ounces, and is expected to be optimal at 65,000 troy ounces per year in 2025," he explained at the Astra Tower, Wednesday (7/6/2023).According to him, SJR's gold production rate will stabilize in the range of 65,000 troy ounces in 10 years, calculating the total reserves that exist today.Meanwhile, at the Martabe gold mine, UNTR conducts mining through PT Agincourt Resources. By 2023, it is estimated that production and sales volumes will reach 240,000 troy ounces.Image source: Bloomberg-Dadang TriSource: www.market.bisnis.com/United Tractors (UNTR) Kerek Target Produksi Emas pada 2024

The Indonesian government is pursuing a policy to mandate coal miners to operate local processing plants after annual coal production hit a new record in 2023.The downstream industry policy seeks to restrict the export of raw coals while obliging producers to come up with a clear domestic processing agenda by 2025.A senior official said Tuesday the presence of domestic coal processing plants becomes a requirement for any coal company to get their license extended by the government.The downstream industry program requires the utilization of coals in other industries such as dimethyl ether, methanol, synthetic gas, hydrogen, and ammonia. However, there has been little progress since the program was introduced in 2022.“Companies have different output plans and no one has started the program yet," said Lana Saria, director of coal business supervision with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry."Some companies have their downstream industry plan approved and they are either conducting feasibility studies or looking for business partners," she added.Energy Minister Arifin Tasrif said the previous day that the national coal production reached 775 million tons last year, the highest annual output in history.Of that figure, 213 million tons were used in domestic power plants while the remaining amount went to the export markets.In the past four years, Indonesia’s coal production has been on a steady rise, from 564 million tons in 2020 to 614 million tons in 2021 and 687 million tons in 2022."The growth in coal production is attributable to growing demand from the electricity industry as we are adding more coal-fired power plants," Arifin said.Disruptions in global gas supplies also drove up demand for Indonesian coals as alternate energy sources, he added.Image source: Antara Photo/M Risyal HidayatSource: www.jakartaglobe.id/Indonesia Pushes for Coal Processing Industry as Production Hits All-Time High

PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk. (MDKA) spent exploration funds of USD 22.6 million or around IDR 350.8 billion, throughout the fourth quarter of 2023.The management of Merdeka Copper said that throughout the In the fourth quarter of 2023, MDKA carried out exploration activities in three locations, namely Tujuh Bukit of East Java, Wetar Island, and Southwest Maluku, and Pani Gorontalo. In Seven Hills, the focus is on gold and copper and silver and gold resources, in Wetar, it is focused on copper resources, and in Pani is focused on gold resources."The total expenditure for exploration by Merdeka during the fourth quarter was around IDR 350.8 billion, equivalent to a range of USD 22.6 million," the management wrote in the information disclosure. quoted Monday (15/1/2024).In more detail, the Seven Hills Project costs IDR 2,06.6 billion, which consists of tunnel maintenance and underground resource definition drilling and related test work.The result was seven subsurface drilling rigs with a total depth of 7,228.8 meters. With the completion of the subsurface drilling program, all subsurface rigs will be stopped and withdrawn. Advanced drilling will use surface drill rigs.Meanwhile, for the Tujuh Bukit gold and gold project, spent IDR 26.6 billion. Two Reverse Circulation (RC) rigs and 15 Diamond drills (DD) rigs drilled with a total drilling of 23,336 meters. Mine-age drilling and regional exploration will continue using six DD rigs and two RC rigs for resource definition, sterilization, and exploration.Furthermore, the Wetar Copper Mine copper project spent fresh funds of IDR 28 billion. From exploration, two drilling rigs were operated during this quarter, with 39 holes completed and an overall drill depth of 3,383.9 meters at Partolang.This project will later be continued by starting regional drilling programs in West and East Kali Kuning and Karkopang in the middle of the first quarter of 2024.Then the Pani Gold project costs IDR 89.6 billion. The results of exploration activities are 136 boreholes completed for a total of 15,210.1 meters, namely the drilling program of resource definition, metallurgy, and sterilization.Furthermore, it will continue using 6 rigs for resource definition drilling and geotechnical drilling programs.The Pani Gold Project is a project that contains approximately 6.6 million ounces of gold and is expected to be a long-life, low-cost gold mine with the potential to produce significant amounts of gold.Gold production is expected to begin by the end of 2025 and peak production is planned to exceed 450,000 ounces of gold per year, making it the largest gold mine in Indonesia and one of the largest gold mines in Asia Pacific.Then, the Tujuh Bukit Copper Project is one of the world's top-ranked undeveloped copper and gold mineral resources, containing about 8.1 million tons of copper and 27.4 million ounces of gold.Image source: merdekacoppergold.comSource: www.market.bisnis.com/Emiten Boy Thohir MDKA Habiskan Dana Eksplorasi Rp350,8 Miliar

The management and all employees of PT Mifa Bersaudara and all operational partners are committed to continuing to improve performance and implementation of the K3 culture in 2024, so as to maintain the sustainability of the mining business in Aceh.To carry out this commitment, Deputy Head of Mining Engineer of PT Mifa Bersaudara, Abdul Haris, emphasized that it takes discipline and consistency of all parties to continue to ensure that their work area is protected from unsafe conditions and actions and maintains a healthy lifestyle."Hopefully, this joint commitment will make PT Mifa Bersaudara is a safe and healthy place to work, so that employees are more productive in working to achieve the targets set in 2024," he said during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 National K3 Month at PT Mifa Bersaudara. Commitment to Improve Performance and Implement K3 Culture in 2024 It is recorded that until the end of 2023, the number of workers in the IUP area of PT Mifa Bersaudara is 2,920, with a total working hours of 6,777,897 hours.In 2024, PT Mifa Bersaudara has set a threshold for the tolerable statistical level of occupational safety for property damage frequency rate of 3.60 and a total injury frequency rate of 0.30."While tolerable occupational health statistics for disease severity based on absenteeism (Absence Severity Rate) of 200, morbidity frequency rate of 120 and frequency of occupational disease (PAK) of 0 percent," concluded Haris.Hasbuna, representative of DISNAKER Aceh province, expressed his gratitude for the participation of PT Mifa to start this good step of K3 by holding a memorial ceremony involving all stakeholders involved in the company.He hopes for this K3 to be improved continuously. "Earlier we also heard information that there was a slight excess of the target achievement, so the improvement of work safety, especially in the mine, must be further improved," Hasbuna said.For him, what is targeted by the management in 2024 can be achieved and this requires support from all parties, especially all employees. so supervision is important in K3 but more importantly, the understanding of all employees, personal safety and company safety are even more important.Image source: SERAMBINEWS.COMSource: www.aceh.tribunnews.com/Komitmen Tingkatkan Performa & Penerapan Budaya K3 di Tahun 2024

Bedeschi S.p.A. has announced the finalisation of a new contract for a coal transshipment system, gaining the trust of a new customer in Indonesia.An important Shipyard will build this tailor-made solution in the Guangdong district, with a final destination in Indonesia.The scope includes two receiving hoppers with associated belt feeder extractors, one coal blending mixer, belt conveyors, and one slewing a luffing telescopic shiploader.The system is controlled by multiple levelling sensors to monitor the quantity of coal in the hoppers and optimise the blending performances.Transshipments are an essential part of the materials handling on the open sea to avoid bottlenecks inside ports and form a big part of the company’s offshore solutions.This is another important step in Bedeschi’s globalisation strategy with Bedeschi Far East, its widespread network in the Far East and its team based in Hong Kong with Indonesia and China Mainland offices.Image source: World CoalSource: www.worldcoal.com/Bedeschi announces new coal transshipment in Indonesia

The Philippines raised the potential of a joint nickel and copper collaboration with Indonesia to facilitate the transition to green technologies for sustainable future. Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual raised this potential at  the Joint Philippines-Indonesia Roundtable Meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 10, in Makati in time for the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the country.  The joint roundtable meeting was participated in by Indonesia Ambassador Agus Widjojo and members of the Indonesian and the Philippine business community.“Our nations are both rich in nickel and copper—vital for green technologies such as electric vehicles. By leveraging these resources and close collaboration, we can facilitate a transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon economy,” said Pascual.Both Philippines and Indonesia are nickel producers. The Philippines though is still looking for potential investors to engage in the processing of locally mined nickel ore to be able to participate in the global value chain for electric vehicles.   Pascual stressed that Indonesian investors can benefit from the recently issued Executive Order No. 18 last October 2023 to expedite, streamline, and automate government processes for investments in strategic sectors, such as processing critical minerals like copper and nickel.Aside from nickel processing, Pascual also drew attention to the untapped trade potential between the two countries, particularly in facilitating the flow of Filipino goods into the Indonesian markets for halal. “We can make this happen through deepened cooperation on Halal mutual based on a recognition agreement (MRA) between our nations,” said Pascual.The MRA, he said,  is aligned with Indonesia's goal to enhance regional connectivity, catalyzing the flow of goods and invigorating the trading routes between the Philippines and Indonesia.The realm of services trade stands as another fertile ground for mutual enrichment between the two  nations. Following the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on the Creative Economy, Pascual said, the time is ripe to harness its full potential. “The Philippines is eager to forge strong ties with Indonesian enterprises, sharing insights and strategies to amplify the benefits of this agreement. We see vibrant opportunities for collaboration in film, gaming, and animation sectors,” he said. The recent enactment of the Philippines Creative Industries Development Act, he said, shows the Philippines’ dedication to nurturing the creative industries. “We invite our Indonesian counterparts to explore these avenues with us as we open our doors to expanded collaborations and operations,” he said.“We enthusiastically invite you to 'Make It Happen in the Philippines.' We stand ready to embrace your investments and form strategic business alliances. Today, we are honored by the presence of our valued partners. Your commitment to advancing our trade and investment relations is deeply appreciated. Let's construct avenues for collaboration, creating an ecosystem where enterprises prosper and communities flourish,” he added.With close to 60% of ASEAN's population residing within the borders of the two countries, he said, the Philippines and Indonesia hold significant roles in the region's economic dynamics. Indonesia stands as the Philippines' fifth-largest trading partner, fifteenth in export destination, and second in import source.Image source: mb.com.phSource: www.mb.com.ph/PH pitches for nickel, copper collaboration with Indonesia

MIND ID through its subsidiary, PT Inalum, targets to immediately complete the construction of the Phase I Smelter Grade Alumina Refinery (SGAR) in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, in the second semester of 2024.The construction of the SGAR phase I project, which began in 2019, can initially be completed and start operating in 2023. But now, the target of completing the bauxite ore processing plant into alumina-aluminum base material, is targeted to be completed in the second half of 2024.Work on the bauxite to alumina smelting plant project has now reached 58% and is targeted to reach 80% of the construction period by the end of 2023. After SGAR Mempawah phase I is completed, the commercial operation target will begin to run effectively in 2025.Corporate Secretary of BUMN Holding Mining Industry MIND ID Heri Yusuf said the alumina produced by SGAR Mempawah phase I will later become raw material for aluminum smelters owned by members of the MIND ID Group, PT Inalum in Kuala Tanjung has a capacity capable of accommodating alumina up to 1 million kilo tons per annum (KTPA). The amount of alumina could be 500,000 tons of aluminum."This is a challenge for MIND ID through our subsidiary, PT Inalum, to immediately complete SGAR Mempawah phase I. When later Once this bauxite smelter has officially operated, we can connect the entire bauxite business chain into aluminum, both for domestic and export market needs," Heri said in his official statement on Wednesday (13/9).The US$ 830 million project is expected to be a solution to the problem of breaking the bauxite business chain into aluminum. According to Heri, currently, PT Antam's bauxite mining products are sent first to neighboring countries to be smelted into alumina, and then transported again to aluminum smelters."After it is completed, it is hoped that through SGAR Mempawah, it can connect the bauxite business chain into aluminum, which is one of the main materials for EV (electric vehicle) batteries in Indonesia." he said.After SGAR Mempawah phase 1 is completed, members of the MIND ID PT Inalum Group, through its subsidiary, PT Borneo Alumina Indonesia (PT BAI), plan to continue the work on SGAR Menpawah phase II with the potential for additional alumina production capacity of up to 2 million tons.PT BAI is a joint venture company with 60% share ownership of PT Inalum and PT Antam 40%. "Both are subsidiaries of MIND ID, so PT BAI can be called the grandson of MIND ID," he said.The strategy carried out by Inalum and Antam in continuing the work on SGAR Phase II involves finding strategic partners to work on SGAR phase II. This is needed to meet the brownfield and greenfield expansion needs of aluminum smelters. MIND ID continues to provide more value for Indonesia, one of which is through downstream efforts of the mining industry.In addition, Inalum has also resubmitted the SGAR Mempawah phase I project to be redesignated as one of the national strategy projects (PSN). Previously, the government revoked the SGAR Mempawah work protection from the PSN list through the issuance of Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Regulation Number 9 of 2022 in July 2022."When it enters again as a PSN, it will support faster project completion," he said.The revocation was based on the project, which is estimated to cost an investment of USD 1.7 billion, delayed for quite a long time due to problems from EPC consortium holders, namely state-owned enterprises from China, China Aluminum International Engineering Corporation Ltd. (Chalieco) by 75%, and the rest is PT Pembangunan Perumahan Tbk. (PTPP).Image source: ANTARASource: www.alinea.id/MIND ID targetkan pembangunan SGAR Mempawah rampung pada 2024

Huayou Indonesia, which is part of Zheijiang Huayou Cobalt Co. Ltd., promises to bring the entire nickel downstream industry chain to the country with a note of certainty of long-term policy sustainability.Deputy Director of External Affairs at Huayou Indonesia, Stevanus, stated that for the past five years, his party has invested USD 21.5 billion, or equivalent to IDR 300 trillion, in nine nickel projects in Indonesia."In the future, it is possible to bring more with a record that the leadership transition can run well and the vision for downstream is still supported," he said during the Media Gathering in Jakarta on Friday (12/1).Steven stated that so far, Huayou sees the Indonesian government's roadmap for nickel downstream, especially for electric vehicles, in line with world business trends.He reminded that continuity of leadership and policies is very important for the business world, especially for downstream programs that require certainty of long-term plans and large investments. Therefore, Huayou expects continued support from the government for investment in the downstream mineral industry chain, especially to secure the supply quota of raw materials such as low-grade limonite ore.According to him, the government's move to limit the Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace (RKEF) smelter that produces Nickel Pig Iron (NPI) and Ferronickel is appropriate. The reason is that the life of high-grade nickel ore reserves will be shorter if the RKEF smelter is not limited."At the same time, low-grade nickel ore loses its potential because it is not optimized. In fact, low-grade nickel resources are greater than high-grade nickel, which can bring large foreign exchange for the country, "he said.Huayou considers that now is not the time for RKEF smelters whose production is limited to NPI and Ferronickel. In fact, RKEF technology can be improved in order to produce nickel matte. This effort can be carried out to balance the exploitation of low and high grade nickel ore so that resource utilization can be maximized. On the other hand, it is time for High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) smelters that absorb low-grade nickel ore to be propagated in Indonesia, along with the spur of production of raw materials for electric vehicle batteries. "So the steps of the Indonesian government are very appropriate, so don't think from the business side because business people will rack their brains to make money from existing conditions," he said. For information, Huayou began operating in Indonesia since 2018 and has developed several projects in the country. Some of those projects are as follows. The High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) project in Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) is run by PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt. The project began construction in 2020 and reached production in 2021 with an annual capacity of 60,000 tons of nickel in Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP). Huayou also invested in Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) with Tsingshan Holding Group and Zhenshi Holding Group Co., Ltd in 2018. Then PT Huake Nickel Indonesia and PT Youshan Nickel Indonesia at IWIP is a Rotary Klin Electric Furnace (RKEF) project that began construction in 2018 and is currently in the operating stage with a total annual capacity of 90,000 tons of nickel in matte. Then, PT Huafei Nickel Cobalt at IWIP is an HPAL project that began construction in 2021 and reached production tests in June 2023 with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons of nickel at MHP. There is also the PT Kolaka Nickel Indonesia project run by Zheijang Huayou Cobalt Co. with PT Vale Indonesia Tbk (INCO) and Ford Motor Company, namely the HPAL smelter which will produce 120,000 tons of nickel in MHP in Pomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi. The project is marked by a definitive agreement signed on March 30, 2023.Huayou also participated in the Grand Package project. This mega project is a collaboration between a consortium consisting of LG Energy Solution, LG Chem, Huayou, LX International, Posco Future M, Antam, and Indonesia Battery CoIDRoration (IBC). Finally, Indonesia Pomalaa Industry Park (IPIP) located in Pomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi. IPIP is the first environmentally friendly industrial park with a complete lithium battery production chain invested by Huayou and has been designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN). Steven affirmed, Huayou will bring the entire integrated industrial chain in IPIP. Starting from the development of mining resources, the development of HPAL technology, refining, ternary precursor materials and ternary cathodes, to battery recycling. Image source: ANTARA PHOTOS/Asep FathulrahmanSource: www.industri.kontan.co.id/Huayou Indonesia Akan Bangun Seluruh Rantai Industri Hilirisasi ke Indonesia