Success In Downstreaming, Minister Of Industry Agus Inaugurates Nickel Smelter Groundbreaking In East Kalimantan

Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Industry)

JAKARTA - The government through the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) inaugurated the nickel smelter industry of PT Mitra Murni Perkasa (MMP), which is a company with 100 percent Domestic Investment (PMDN) in East Kalimantan.

"The construction of the smelter industry in the context of the downstream program is expected to provide a variety of raw materials and in sufficient quantities so that it can have a positive impact on the growth of other industrial sectors," said Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in a written statement, Monday, September 11.

Minister of Industry Agus said the plan for the production capacity of the nickel smelter was 27,000 MT nickel plantations per year and would be used as raw material for batteries.

"This nickel smelter is scheduled to commission in 2025," he said.

Agus added, PT MMP will be the second nickel smelter in Indonesia to produce nickel niche.

"This proves that PMDN is also able to be present to build a nickel smelter industry project that is so large, worth tens of trillions of rupiah to support the national electric battery industry," he said.

The government, continued Agus, also gave appreciation to all investors and the ranks of the Board of Directors of PT MMP for its commitment to building the nickel smelter industry in Indonesia in order to participate in the success of the downstream program and become an important step towards Indonesia Emas 2045.

"The Ministry of Industry always supports and facilitates the needs of domestic industrial business actors. We will oversee PT MMP so that all activities can run according to plan and according to the planned stages," he concluded.

For your information, currently there are 38 nickel stand alone smelters that have operated under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) with an investment value of up to 15.8 billion US dollars.

Of the 38 smelters, 35 of them are smelters of pyrometallurgy, while the rest are hydrometallurgy smelters with the final product Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) which can be further processed into raw materials for electric vehicle batteries.