Vale Executive Details Development Plans for New Nickel Mine

PT Vale Indonesia Tbk (INCO) Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer Budiawansyah has detailed the development progress of the new Tanamalia nickel mine in Sorowako, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. According to Budiawansyah, the company will continue the detailed exploration process for Tanamalia in 2027. This phase includes a second-stage exploration study and detailed project design. “2027 is the detailed exploration process, the second-stage exploration study, and then there will be detailed design,” Budiawansyah stated in Jakarta on Thursday (13/8/2026). Mining operations at the Tanamalia site are estimated to commence in 2029, though this target remains a company projection. “Yes, our estimate, our forecast, is 2029,” he said. Budiawansyah emphasised that the mine development project must pass a series of assessments, covering ecological and disaster aspects. This is to ensure that mining activities can proceed safely while minimising environmental impact. “So it must be clear, we conduct ecological studies, we conduct disaster studies there. What is the difference with Sorowako? It is the same. Sorowako is actually riskier, we conduct disaster studies and all sorts of things, Bahodopi is the same, we evaluate the maturity of the risks,” Budiawansyah explained. Citing Vale Indonesia’s official website, the Tanamalia Project is currently undergoing a Front End Loading (FEL) 2 study process. FEL is PT Vale’s project management guide, explaining how projects are developed and planned, covering technical, economic, environmental, and business aspects related to the company. During the study phase, nickel content data will be collected and processed to determine whether to proceed with the mining process. There are three phases in the FEL Study: FEL 1 - Business Feasibility, FEL 2 - Alternative Selection, and FEL 3 - Execution Plan.