Pongkor gold mine can be operated until 2014: Official
Thursday, August 28 2003 - 03:56 AM WIB
Publicly listed mining company PT Antam expects that the lifetime of its Pongkor gold mine in West Java can be extended until 2014 although some parts of the concession area has been switched into the Gunung Halimun national park, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Thursday.
Eko Warman, Antam's official in charge of the operation of the Pongkor gold mine, said that the company expected it would be able to carry out mining activities until 2014. According to him, the remaining gold reserves in the Pongkor gold mine reach about 40 tons of gold ores.
At present, the Pongkor gold mine produces between three and four tons of gold and between 25 tons and 28 tons of silver a year.
According to the company's data, the gold production totaled 3.75 tons last year while silver production reached 24.8 tons.
He said that the company was also trying to explore new deposits in a bid to extend the mine's lifetime. (*)