Antam to overhaul smelter, output seen to drop 10 percent

State-owned diversified mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) is likely to see its ferronickel output in Pomalaa, South Sulawesi drop by 10 percent this year as a result of a major overhaul of its FeNi II smelter, Neraca daily reported.

The overhaul is expected to start in August and will be finished in five months.

Antam operates two smelters in Pomalaa. In 2003, the smelters produced 8,933 tons of contained nickel in ferronickel.

Early this year, Antam started the construction of its third ferronickel smelter, the FeNi III, which is expected to start commercial operation in the first quarter of 2006. (*)