The Indonesian government recently stated that if all refining and processing facilities (smelters) are completed and put into operation in 2022, almost all the produced nickel ore can be processed domestically.
Yunus Saefulhak, Director of Minerals and Mineral Resources, Director of Minerals and Mineral Development, said that the country’s current nickel ore output has reached about 60 million tons per year. Currently, the country’s smelters can absorb and process half of the new products.
The government's goal is that within the next two years, the amount of nickel ore that can be processed domestically is 59 million tons or close to the national output.
He said he is planning to develop the next smelter. If the smelter is built in 2020, it will absorb another 29 million tons. In addition, the quality of the nickel ore absorption process will also be improved.
For low-grade nickel below 1.5%, hydrometallurgy or HPAL technology will be used. At present, the development progress of HPAL has reached about 40%.
He believes that by 2022, the balance between mine output and input capacity will be achieved, not between smelters.
