Antam switches on new furnace at Pomalaa ferronickel project

By Ruli Setiawan

IDX-listed mining firm PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam) announced it has on Monday switched on the furnace-4 facility which is part of the Pomalaa ferronickel plant expansion project (P3FP) in Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

?The commencement of the process was the next stage following preheating process which commenced on March 29, 2015. The switch on of furnace-4 signals the P3FP is on track for the start of commercial operations at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2015,? the company said in a statement.

Following the operations of the P3FP in 2015, Antam expects total ferronickel production to increase to 20,400 TNi with a sales of 22,000 TNi.

?The switch on of furnace-4 facility signals the Pomalaa ferronickel plant expansion project is on track to commence its commercial operations in the beginning of the 4th quarter of 2015. The completion of the Pomalaa Ferronickel Plant Expansion project which also includes the development of a coal fired power plant shall increase Antam?s profitability and performance through increased production and lower costs,? said Antam President Director Tedy Badrujaman.

In line with the completion of P3FP, Antam?s annual ferronickel production is expected to increase from 18,000-20,000 TNi to 27,000-30,000 TNi. The completion of the project will also lower the ferronickel cash cost, resulting in Antam?s position as one of the lowest ferronickel cash cost producer globally.

As at the end of February 2015, the construction of P3FP reached 86.9 percent, Antam said.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak