Set 1,215 People's Mining Areas, KESDM: Has Issued 82 Permits

Mining permit (photo: dock. VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) through the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal (Minerba) reports that it has designated 1,215 regions as People's Mining Areas (WPR) with a total area of 66,583.18 hectares.

"As for the people's mining permit (IPR) that we have issued, there are 82 permits with a total area of 62.31 hectares," said Acting Director General of Mineral and Coal at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Bambang Suswantono in a hearing (RDP) with Commission VII, Tuesday, March 26.

Bambang in his presentation also revealed that the WPRs that had been designated were spread across 19 provinces with the most WPR Blocks in East Java Province with 322 blocks, followed by West Kalimantan with 199 blocks, then Yogyakarta with 138 blocks and Banka Belitung with 123 blocks.

"The province of Bangka Belitung WPR has set 123 WPRs with a total area of 8,568.35 hectares," continued Bambang.

Bambang said that the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Arifin Tasrif, had signed a Decree on mining areas per province throughout Indonesia as of April 21, 2022. The regional proposal accommodated in determining the 2022 WP was only accompanied by recommendations on spatial suitability from the local regent.

Bambang also said that from 2022 to 2023 the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal had compiled WPR management documents in 9 provinces with 270 WPR blocks.

"The follow-up to what will be carried out in 2024 is that we will accelerate the preparation of the WPR 6 provincial management document compiled in 2023 through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources," said Bambang.

The 6 provinces mentioned include Jambi, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatra, Riau, Maluku and Central Sulawesi.

Meanwhile, the WPR processing documents that have been compiled in the Bangka Belitung Islands Province include 3 regencies with a total of 36 blocks, including South Bangka Regency with 9 blocks, Central Bangka Regency with 13 blocks and East Belitung Regency with 14 blocks.

Bambang said that the legal basis related to WPR is contained in Law 4/2009 concerning mineral and coal mining article 20 which states that people's mining is carried out in a WPR and article 24 which reads that the area or place of community mining activities that have been carried out but have not been designated as a WPR is prioritized to be designated as a WPR.

The provisions related to the IPR also refer to Law Number 3 concerning Amendments to Law Number 4 of 2009 concerning Minerba Mining Article 22 where the area within the WP that can be determined as a WPR must meet a number of criteria and Article 22A in which the central government and local governments guarantee no change in the use of spatial and regional planning in the established WPR.