Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2014 The gold and copper mining project in Aceh\nowned by a subsidiary of PT Darma Henwa Tbk (DEWA) remains at a\nstandstill. Drilling at the project, operated by PT Gayo Mineral\nResources (GMR), has been suspended for more than seven months because\npermits have not been issued, with operations also disrupted by natural\ndisasters.<\/p>\n
According to GMR\u2019s exploration activity report for the period from 1\nJuly to 30 September 2026, the company carried out no new drilling\nduring the third quarter of 2026. Drilling has been postponed since 8\nMarch 2026 while the Mining Business Licence (IUP) approval process\nremains incomplete.<\/p>\n
Phase #2B drilling at the Upper Tengkereng (UT) Prospect had\noriginally been scheduled to run from February 2026 to June 2027. The\ncompany described the delay, related to the permit process, as a force\nmajeure event.<\/p>\n
As a result, total drilling since the project began remained\nunchanged at 31,485.75 metres, the same as at the end of the second\nquarter of 2026. Drilling contractor PT Arfa Explorindo Nusantara also\ncarried out no drilling during the third quarter.<\/p>\n
Although drilling has stopped, costs continue to accrue. GMR recorded\nexploration expenses of Rp14.51 billion in the third quarter of 2026 for\nactivities in the Upper Tengkereng and Southeast Tengkereng areas.<\/p>\n
Flash Floods and Landslides<\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to the permitting issues, the project has also been\naffected by natural disasters. GMR reported force majeure conditions\ncaused by flash floods and landslides in Aceh and surrounding areas,\nwhich disrupted access and logistics to the site.<\/p>\n Heavy rain also damaged or washed away two river-flow monitoring\nweirs. The company plans to repair them, revise their design and\nrelocate the monitoring points.<\/p>\n The weirs form part of a recently launched Water Supply Scoping\nStudy, which is assessing whether local surface water could support\nfuture mining operations.<\/p>\n Land access remains another unresolved issue. Mapping land ownership\nin Southeast Tengkereng has begun using drone imagery, but access to two\nplanned drill sites, numbers 9 and 10, has not yet been secured. The\ncompany said land access was essential before further drilling could\ntake place.<\/p>\n There are also outstanding facility-readiness issues. Replacement of\nthe historical core boxes has stalled at 561 of 918 boxes. The\nreject-sample storage room is nearly full, while the core-cutting room\nstill requires soundproofing. Both issues must be addressed before the\nnext drilling phase.<\/p>\n While drilling is suspended, GMR has shifted its focus to technical\nstudies and preparations so fieldwork can resume as soon as permits are\nissued.<\/p>\n One key step is a JORC audit. GMR has appointed SRK Consulting\n(Australasia) Pty Ltd to independently audit and review the data. SRK\nwill prepare a resource estimate based on completed Phase 2 drilling\ndata covering up to 30,000 metres. SRK\u2019s first site visit took place in\nSeptember 2026.<\/p>\n The company is also reassessing resource parameters at the UT\nProspect, including recalculating cut-off grades using copper equivalent\n(CuEq) and gold equivalent (AuEq), and comparing them with calculations\nbased on either copper or gold alone.<\/p>\n The latest resource estimate will use assay results up to drill hole\nUTD087. The previous estimate, in the first half of 2026, used data only\nup to UTD081.<\/p>\n GMR is currently compiling data from 102 surveyed drill holes\ntotalling 42,637.93 metres, including historical data. The dataset also\nincludes 24,843 rock assay results and 1,533 specific-gravity\nsamples.<\/p>\n Pursuing a Production Operation IUP<\/strong><\/p>\n Amid these various obstacles, GMR is targeting an accelerated\nextension of its Exploration IUP as well as an upgrade to a Production\nOperation IUP.<\/p>\n The only new permit recorded in the report is the second Indicative\nMap of the Postponement of New Permit Issuance (PIPPIB) decree, obtained\non 13 May 2026.<\/p>\n If the permits are issued, the company is ready to resume Phase #2B\ndrilling. Its main programme is 13,172 metres of Ore Body Knowledge\ndrilling at UT, comprising 5,875 metres for geotechnical and\nhydrological work, 3,827 metres for metallurgy and 3,470 metres for\nresource estimation.<\/p>\n Other plans include 3,620 metres of geotechnical and hydrological\ndrilling for underground mine infrastructure, 1,000 metres of\nexploration at Southeast Tengkereng, 250 metres of horizontal drilling\nat the underground mine portal, and 680 metres to support surface mine\ninfrastructure.<\/p>\n The project is designed around an underground block-cave mining\nconcept.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dewa-gold-mine-project-stalled-by-permits-and-natural-disasters-1791885094",
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