Bangka Belitung plans to ban rare earth minerals

The Bangka Belitung provincial administration plans to issue a new bylaw which will ban the export of unprocessed rare earth minerals from the province.

Kompas.com reported, quoting Governor Erzaldi Rosman, that the new bylaw will require local refining of the minerals prior to export in a bid to help lure investment and create jobs in the province. No further details about the plan were provided.

Head of the Indonesian Tin Exporters Association, Jabin Sufianto could not provide much comments as it has yet to know details about the new bylaw. But he was quoted by Kontan as saying Monday that the government must not issue policies that would undermine the development the Indonesian tin mining industry.

Director of Business and Commercial Development at IDX-listed tin mining firm PT Timah Tbk, Trenggono Sutioso also could not provide much comment. But he said as reported by Kontan that Timah is mulling to develop a commercial-scale refinery in Bangka Belitung that would produce rare earth hydroxides RE OH3, with one of the side products called thorium, a radioactive metal that can be used as fuel in nuclear reactor.

Timah succeeded last year producing the rare earth minerals from a mini refining plant in Bangka Belitung, and was seeking to expand it into commercial-scale. But Bambang said that Timah was still studying the economic feasibility of the planned smelter, which will have annual capacity of 500 tons. (*)