IMIP denies report of four smelters halting production after landslide
Wednesday, March 11 2026 - 08:24 AM WIB
PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), operator of the IMIP nickel industrial hub in Central Sulawesi, has denied reports that four nickel smelters operated by tenants in the complex halted production following a landslide last month, saying three of the facilities cited have not yet begun operations.
The four smelters mentioned are the high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) plant owned by PT QMB New Energy Materials, along with facilities belonging to PT Green Eco Nickel, PT Meiming New Energy Material and PT ESG New Energy Material.
IMIP Head of Media Relations Deddy Kurniawan said only the HPAL plant operated by QMB has started production, while the other three remain under construction.
“Among the four smelters, only PT QMB has begun production,” Deddy told Bisnis.com on Tuesday. “The other three are still in the construction phase.”
Bloomberg previously reported that four HPAL plants in the IMIP area had temporarily halted production after a landslide at a waste disposal site at one of the facilities last month.
Read also : Minister weighs revoking IMIP tenant’s permit after deadly incidents
The incident occurred at the PT QMB New Energy Materials site and resulted in the death of one worker. Sources cited in the report said the production halt could last up to three months.
The disruption was said to affect plants accounting for about 30% of Indonesia’s HPAL capacity.
QMB is the largest HPAL facility among the plants mentioned and is owned by a consortium including GEM Co. and Chinese nickel producer Tsingshan Holding Group.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment is reviewing the company’s environmental approval following the incident. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said authorities are examining safety practices and waste management after two fatal accidents occurred within QMB’s operational area at IMIP.
“We are conducting a comprehensive review and will soon decide whether to revoke the environmental approval,” Hanif said.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak