PT Antam, BHP to develop nickel on Gag island<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned mining company PT Aneka Tambang
\n(Antam) has signed a joint-venture agreement with the Broken Hill
\nProprietary (BHP) of Australia to conduct a feasibility study on
\nnickel development on Gag island.<\/p>\n
\"We expect to complete the feasibility study on the eastern
\nIndonesian island within six months, \" Antam President Darmoko
\nSlamet told The Jakarta Post yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"If the study's results are encouraging, we will set up a
\njoint-venture mining company next year,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that BHP will have a stake of 85 percent in the joint
\nventure and Antam 15 percent. \"But based on our agreement we can
\nincrease our share to 25 percent,\" said Darmoko.<\/p>\n
It has been known for years that there are nickel resources on
\nGag island and the right to mine there is currently held by Aneka
\nTambang. However, the technology was not available to
\ncommercialize the resource in a cost effective manner.<\/p>\n
A BHP executive told the Post here that his company has been
\ndeveloping advanced technologies for the recovery of nickel and
\ncobalt from such deposits.<\/p>\n
Antam currently mines nickel in Gebe island, Halmahera, and on
\nPomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi, and processes its products in
\nPomalaa. In 1994, the state firm produced 2.3 million tons of
\nnickel ore and 57,000 tons of ferronickel.<\/p>\n
Data of the Ministry of Mines and Energy shows that Indonesia
\nhas nickel deposits of 881.3 million metric tons in Sulawesi,
\nKalimantan, Maluku, and Irian Jaya, with a 1.3 to 3 percent
\nnickel content. (13)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-antam-bhp-to-develop-nickel-on-gag-island-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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