Jokowi inaugurates nickel smelter in Morowali
Saturday, May 30 2015 - 02:54 AM WIB
President Joko ?Jokowi? Widodo inaugurated on Friday a multibillion-dollar nickel pig iron smelter project in Bahodopi district, Morowali regency, Central Sulawesi, built by PT Sulawesi Mining Investment.
Present at the ceremony were among others Minister of Industry Saleh Husin, Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo, Head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Franky Sibarani, Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Aladin Djonggala, the Ministry of Industry said in a statement.
Saleh said thus far the smelter has a capacity of 300,000 tons per year, supported by a coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 2x65 MW. It was built as the Phase I of the project with an investment of US$635.57 million.
It will be followed with the development of Phase II facility with a capacity of 600,000 tons per year and another coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 2x150 MW. It will require an investment of $1.04 billion. The Phase II project is expected to be completed in December of 2015.
The Phase III facility with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year is expected to be completed at the end of 2017. Another coal fired power plant with a capacity of 300 MW will also be built to support the new facility. Total investment for the Phase III is $820 million.
?In total, the pig iron nickel smelter will have a capacity of 1.2 million tons supported by 730 MW power plants,? Saleh said.
Besides, a stainless steel manufacturing plant with a capacity of 2 million tons per year will be built in the area. The plant is expected to start up in 2017.
Editing by Johannes Simbolon