NNT moves copper concentrates smelting to Japan

Copper and gold miner PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) said it has moved copper concentrates processing works to Japan because PT Smelting in Gresik, East Java, has temporarily stopped its operation due to troubles with oxygen supplies to the plant, Bisnis Indonesia reported Friday.

NNT?s public relations manager Kasan Mulyono said that an average 10 million pounds of copper concentrates is shipped from its mine in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara to Japan for processing since the middle of this month.

According to him, NNT has signed a long-term copper concentrates smelting contract with PT Smelting through Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

?The concentrates smelting contract with Mitsubishi will be valid until 2013. However, PT Smelting has stopped its operation due to oxygen supply problem and so we move the copper smelting activities to Japan,? he said.

NNT produced some 596 million pounds of copper concentrates from its Batu Hijau mine in West Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. Of the outputs, 20 percent is processed in PT Smelting.

Newmont has 52.88 percent interest in Batu Hijau mine. (*)