Central Omega needs 900,000tpa ores for NPI smelter

By Ruli Setiawan

IDX-listed mining firm PT Central Omega Resources Tbk said a nickel pig iron smelter being developed by its subsidiary PT COR Industri Indonesia in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, will require nickel ores supply of 900,000 tons per year in the first stage.

The company said in a statement to the IDX that the ores will come from its three mines, two in Morowali (run by subsidiaries PT Mulia Pacific Resources and PT Itamatra Nusantara) and one in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi (PT Bumi Konawe Utara), which have a combined production capacity of 3 million tons of nickel ores per year.

The company, however, said there's possibility for PT COR to get part of the nickel ores requirement from outside sources.

Central Omega said it is on track to complete the first-phase 100,000-ton per annum NPI smelter in the first semester of this year. The company is teaming up with China's Macrolink Group in the project.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak