Bumi Makmur to produce 3.5 million tons of nickel ore next year
Monday, November 26 2012 - 01:38 AM WIB
PT Bumi Makmur Selaras plans to produce up to 3.5 million tons of nickel ore from the company?s two nickel mines in Southeast Sulawesi and North Maluku next year.
About 2 million tons of the projected production is expected to come from the company?s mine in East Halmahera regency, North Maluku and the other 1.5 million tons from the North Konawe regency in Southeast Sulawesi.
?Up to the end of 2012, we expect to produce one million tons from East Halmahera and up to 200,000 tons from the North Konawe,? the company?s director Burhan Tadjudin told Petromindo.com on the sideline of the Asia Nickel Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali last week.
The North Konawe mine, which began commercial production only in September, this year, has produced up to 100,000 tons of nickel ore, Burhan said. ?At present, all of the nickel ore production are exported to China,? he added.
Burhan said that it was most likely that the company was unable to operate its own smelter by 2014 as required by the government. For this reason, the company has asked dispensation from the government to continue to export its nickel ore six to nine month after the deadline, he added.
Beginning January, 2014, as stipulated in the new mining law, the government will no longer allow mining firm to export unprocessed ores. They should build their own smelters or cooperate with other smelting firms to process their ore production before exporting them.
?We asked for dispensation since we have begun the construction of the smelter,? he said.
Editing by Adianto P. Simamora