Inco to pay interim dividend

JAKARTA (JP): PT International Nickel Indonesia (Inco) announced yesterday that it will distribute an interim dividend of U.S. five cents per share on Dec. 13.

The company said in a statement that the company's decision to distribute the interim dividend has taken into account its capital spending to expand the capacity of its mining facilities in Soroako, Southeast Sulawesi, to 150 million pounds (68,100 tons) of nickel per annum, from the current level of 100 pounds.

It said the company recorded US$39 million in net earnings during the first semester of this year, up from $16.1 million during the same period of last year. (rid)