Gag Nikel to commence nickel ore production in second semester

By Cepi Setiadi

PT Gag Nikel, a wholly owned subsidiary of IDX-listed mining firm PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam), is expected to commence nickel ore production on Gag Island, West Papua Province, in the second semester of this year.

Ady Taufik Yudisia, PT Gag Director of Operation told Petromindo.com on Thursday that the company is targeting to produce around 1 million tons of nickel ores this year.

"We are currently conducting the construction stage as preparation for the production phase, hopefully everything runs well," Ady said. "We expect that by early second semester of this year we could commence the maiden production," he said, adding that that a stable production will be at the level of one million tons annually.

According to JORC 2012 report, Gag?s West Papua concession has nickel saprolite resources of 188.3 million wet metric tons, and nickel limonite reserves of 170.4 million wmt.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak