Newmont finds new copper deposits in East Sumbawa

Mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PT NNT) has found new copper deposits at Elang Dodo area in East Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, Bisnis Indonesia reported Tuesday.

Director general of geothermal, minerals and coal Simon Felix Sembiring said the new copper deposits were expected to be much bigger than the PT Freeport Indonesia?s deposits. Freeport is a giant copper and gold mining company operating in West Papua.

?The mining prospects in Indonesia are very bright," Simon recently said, citing among others the Elang Dodo discovery.

PT NNT?s spokesperson Kasan Mulyono said his company has not yet finished the study about the new deposits.

?We are still conducting exploration activities, so we can?t provide information about the deposits,? Kasan said.

The company now operates a copper and gold mine in Batu Hijau, on eastern Sumbawa island, which produced 315 million equity pounds of copper and sold 315,000 ounces of equity gold in 2005.

Elang Dodo is located 60 kilometers from Batu Hijau mine. (*)