Shenwu to build $176m smelter in Situbondo

Beijing based industrial and technology firm Shenwu Group will invest up to US$176 million to build a nickel processing plant in Situbondo, East Java witch is expected to be completed in 48 months, The Jakarta Post reported.

The smelting plant will produce 81,200 tons of ferronickel alloy, with a nickel content of 14 percent, as its annual output, according to Shenwu Group deputy general manager Deng Fuhai.

The smelting plant, which is equipped with the latest energy-saving technology and environmentally friendly nickel refining process, will process nickel ores produced by several mid-size mining companies.

Haliem Hoentoro, the chairman of PT Pandu Citra Mulia, one of the nickel suppliers to the smelting plant, said that the specification of the smelter was ?very suitable? for Indonesia due to its low electricity usage as well as its low emissions.

?The smelter will not need too much coal for its operations, and it will only need around five to 10 megawatts of electricity,? said Haliem.(*)