Indonesia has greenlit mining production quota requests from over 120 mineral companies and is striving to finalize the approval process by the end of this month, as disclosed by a senior official at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry on Tuesday.
The approval timeline for the quotas, referred to locally as RKAB, has encountered delays this year, prompting concerns from nickel smelters grappling with diminishing ore reserves.
As a significant producer of minerals like nickel, tin, and copper, Indonesia mandates that all mining entities secure RKAB approvals periodically to commence mining operations.
Irwandy Arif, special staff to the energy and mineral resources minister, stated, “RKAB approvals for minerals are still in progress, with the aim to conclude them by the end of March.”
A total of 723 mineral mining companies have submitted applications for quota approvals, according to Irwandy.
While specific tonnages for the approved RKAB and individual mineral breakdowns were not disclosed, Irwandy confirmed that approvals for coal miners have been finalized.
Indonesia Mining Association Executive Director Djoko Widajatno estimated that approximately 259 million wet metric tons of production quota for nickel have been granted, as conveyed in a message on Tuesday.
In a separate development last week, a ministry director highlighted the issuance of approvals for 145 million metric tons of nickel ore production this year, with additional approvals in progress as authorities prioritize processing requests for nickel and tin.