Nusantara Smelting finalizes pre-feasibility study

PT Nusantara Smelting has finalized a pre-feasibility study for a plan to construct a smelter in Bontang, East Kalimantan.

?The pre-feasibility study indicates that the project is feasible,? President Director Juangga Mangasi said on Wednesday.

Juangga noted however the firm needed to carry out an ?alternative study? on the end products of the smelter to diversify the sulfuric acid product of the smelter.

A smelter typically produces copper cathode as main product and sulfuric acid, copper slag, gypsum and anode slime as by-products. The alternative study aims to see the possibility of producing three types of by-products on the sulfuric line of the smelter, including NPK and ZA, rather than only sulfuric acid. All these products are useful to make fertilizer, according to Juangga.

Juangga said the construction costs of the smelter could be reduced by US$300 million from the initial estimate of $1.02 billion, if the products of the sulfuric line of the smelter can be diversified.

Based on the pre-feasibility study, the smelter can produce 200,000 tons of copper cathode per year, 680,000 tons of sulfuric acid per year using 800,000 tons of ore per year. (Bernard)