Newmont expects sharp increase in copper, gold production

PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara plans to produce between 550 to 600 million pounds of copper and 400,000 to 450,000 ounces of gold in its Batu Hijau copper and gold mine in Sumbawa island, West Nusatenggara (NTB) this year.

According to a press statement issued by the Denver-based Newmont Mining Corporation recently, the new figures represent an increase of approximately 20 percent in copper production and 50

percent in gold production over projected 2000 production of 495 million pounds of copper and 280,000 ounces of gold.

"We are continuing to successfully ramp up production at Batu Hijau and as we do so, our operating costs will decline," said Tom Enos, president director of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT). The total cash

costs for 2001 are targeted at 55 cents per pound of copper, after gold credits, and are expected to decline to between 45 and 50 cents by 2004.

Total cash costs for the first nine months of 2000 were 63 cents per pound, after gold credits. He added that senior debt, principal and interest, for 2001 amounts to 29 cents per pound and is expected to

decline to approximately 22 cents per pound by 2004.

In the third quarter of 2000, the project generated equity income to Newmont for the first time. Last month, it passed the lender's final completion tests so that $1 billion in project financing is now

non-recourse to the partners. PTNNT is a partnership 20 percent held by PT Pukuafu Indah and 80 percent by the Nusa Tenggara partnership, which is 43.75 percent owned by a consortium led by Sumitomo Corp. and 56.25 percent owned by Newmont Indonesia Ltd., a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation.

Batu Hijau is the largest ever start-up of a "green fields" mining project. Located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, it contains reserves of 10.5 billion pounds of copper (5.7 billion equity pounds for

Newmont's interest) and 11.8 million ounces of gold (6.4 million equity ounces) and has a mine life of over twenty years. (*)