Antam?s FeNi III resumes operation

JSX-listed state miner PT Aneka Tambang Tbk. (Antam) has resumed its FeNi III smelter plant since Sunday, the company's official said.

 

The company predicted earlier that it would not resume full operation until September or early October, 2007.

 

“FeNi III plant resumed its operation since last Sunday,” said Antam’s president director Dedi Aditya Sumanegara as quoted by Kontan in Jakarta Thursday.

 

However, he said, Antam would no longer revise its ferronickel output target. “Its (FeNi III) production is still low as the electricity power is only 35 megawatt,” he said.

 

Antam has reduced its 2007 ferronickel production target to 16,000 tons from 20,000 tons due to the metal leak in the FeNi III smelter plant, which occurred in June 17, 2007.

 

In early August release, Antam said that the figure did not include production from its toll smelting business, which may be able to supplement its production volume by 400 tons to 2,000 tons. (*)