SMI to ramp up production of second NPI smelter next year
Friday, September 23 2016 - 07:51 AM WIB
PT Sulawesi Mining Investment (SMI) said that its second nickel pig iron (NPI) smelter, in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, is expected to only be running at 60 percent of the installed capacity of 600,000 tons per annum until end of this year.
SMI Vice President Director Alexander Barus said on Thursday that production will be further increased to 80 percent of installed capacity next year in line with greater progress in the development of supporting infrastructure facilities such as port and power plant.
SMI, which is a joint venture between Indonesia?s Bintang Delapan Group and China?s Tsingshan, last year completed the construction of the first smelter, with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year, and started trial operation of the second smelter in April of this year. It is planning to develop a third unit with a capacity of 300,000 tons per year, targeted to be completed in May of next year.
SMI also operate a 1 million-ton per annum stainless steel plant in Morowali, which absorbs the company?s NPI output. The company plans to build a second stainless steel plant with the same capacity, which is targeted to be also completed in 2017.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak