PT Inco plans to hold public talks to build Sulawesi processing facilities

IDX-listed nickel miner PT International Nickel Indonesia Tbk (Inco) said on Tuesday that it planned to hold public consultations in Pomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi and Bahodopi in Central Sulawesi as part of the initial stage in preparing its environmental impact studies to build processing facilities in the areas.

Inco is reviewing the construction of a high pressure acid leach processing facility at Pomalaa to produce nickel hydroxide, an intermediate nickel product, with an annual production capacity of approximately 30,000 metric tons, it said in statement.

The company is also studying the option of building a plant facility at Bahodopi, with a capacity of approximately 30,000 metric tons per year to process the nickel hydroxide from Pomalaa.

In Bahodopi, Inco also plans to mine a saprolitic nickel orebody. Ore from Bahodopi would be combined with ore from the Sorowako area to feed the existing pyrometallurgical processing facility in Sorowako.

Inco will deliver a report to the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources by April 2009 evaluating the economic and technical feasibility of the construction of processing facilities at Pomalaa and Bahodopi.

It is expected that both projects will be in commissioned within five years, it added. (denny)