ESDM Ministry Targets Four Smelter Finishes This Year

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) states, there will be two smelter processing and refining facilities completed in October. The two smelters are a continuation of the unfinished smelter construction in 2016 producing Nickel Pig Iron (NPI).

The smelter to be completed in October will be owned by PT Bintang Smelter Indonesia in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi (Sulteng) with a capacity of 575,000 tons per year.

Then, a smelter built by PT COR Industri Indonesia with a consortium of PT Mulia Pacific Resources, PT Itamatra Nusantara and PT Bumi Konawe Abadi located in North Morowali. The capacity of this smelter was recorded at 92,400 tons per year.

Director of Mineral Development of Mineral Resources Ministry Bambang Susigit said this year four targeted smelters have been completed. "The target this year there are four, and hopefully the lack of two was completed in October," he said on Sunday (09/03/2017).

The plan, after the completion of the smelter will be entered in the experimental stage or commissioning. It will take at least three months to four months to experiment. In fact, for large-capacity smelter commissioning process takes longer time to year.

Referring to data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, two other mineral processing and refining facilities scheduled for completion this year is an iron sand smelter that produces Cold Bricket Iron built by PT Sumber Baja Prima in Sukabumi with a capacity of 36,367 tons per year.

Another smelter that should have been built this year is the production of Bullion Lead which will be built by PT Kapuas Prima Coal in Central Kalimantan (Kalteng) with a capacity of 30,000 tons per year.

Bambang is optimistic that the construction of these four mineral product smelters will be realized and timely because the production capacity of each masingsmelter is not too large. "Such is not too long, because the capacity is relatively small," said Bambang.

ESDM Ministry noted, currently there are only 19 smelters that have been completed built. In details, 13 smelters produced nickel, and other smelters produced iron ore, manganes, copper, and alumina commodities.

The number of nickel smelters built, according to Bambang, cannot be separated from the background of the company. "We have a lot of nickel for this, for the bauxite is only CGA (PT Indonesia Chemical Alumina)," he said. (Tan)