Antam applies for permit to export low grade nickel ores

Petromindo

IDX-listed mining firm PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) has applied with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for key recommendation letter to be able to export low grade nickel ores.

Antam Corporate Secretary Trenggono Sutioso was quoted by kontan.co.id as saying Friday that the company has submitted the request this week for an export quota of 6 million tons per year.

Trenggono, however, said that the company has yet to be able to assure that 30 percent of its low grade nickel ores output would be absorbed by domestic smelters as part of conditions set by the government to be allowed to export the commodity.

The move to apply for the export permit comes after the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources issued earlier this month technical guidelines for processing the export permit. The government in January issued a new regulation among others allowing miners to resume export of low grade nickel ores with purity of less than 1.7 percent and washed bauxite with purity of less than 42 percent. (*)