Antam to use CNG for its nickel smelter plants

State owned mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) plans to use compressed natural gas (CNG) in a bid to reduce the use of fuel in the company’s nickel refinery plants in South Sulawesi by at least 10 percent.

The company’s president director Dedy Aditya Sumanegara said in Jakarta on Thursday that the use of CNG would reduce the operation cost to five cent per kwh as compared to about 9 cent per kwh at present.

“We are now conducting a feasibility study in the use of CNG, which will be transported to the refinery plants in South Sulawesi by ships,” he said. With this plan, the use of CNG could be started within the next two years.

Antam which operates three refinery plants – FeNi I, FeNi II and FeNi II, is still negotiating the CNG supply of about 20 mmbtu from Senoro gas field Central Sulawesi, owned by PT Medco Indonesia. (dino)