Ministry of Environment Freezes 80 Mining Environmental Permits Following Evaluation

Jakarta — Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLH) has frozen 80 environmental permits in the coal and nickel extraction sectors as part of an evaluation exercise for mining operations.

“We have 1,358 coal and nickel extraction units currently under evaluation. As of today, only 250 units have been assessed. Of these 250 units, approximately 80 have had their environmental permits frozen,” said Minister of Environment and Forestry/Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, responding to journalists following a National Waste Management Coordination Meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The evaluation has focused on 14 critical provinces with substantial coal and nickel mining operations.

“The analytical results lead to summoning the responsible parties, followed by drawing up minutes and field findings. After that, we move to the legal approach,” Hanif explained.

The legal approach may include administrative sanctions, government enforcement measures for environmental audits, and civil lawsuits.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, through its Legal Enforcement Deputy (Gakkum), is currently overseeing 30 cases, including those pursued through the courts.

The ministry has filed lawsuits as a warning to other companies to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and laws.

“The state revenue could be substantial, as we may obtain approximately IDR 5-6 trillion from non-compliance. This does not mean we are exploiting this as the sole objective. We expect this deterrent effect to resonate so that others will be more cautious,” said Hanif Faisol Nurofiq.