Indonesia Continues Smelter Expansion Projects, an Industrial Info Market Brief

Indonesian smelter expansion projects are gaining momentum as local miners and smelter companies continue to increase production capacity after the country's move forward with its ore export ban in 2020. PT Freeport Indonesia, the operator of the world's second-biggest copper mine, recently started site preparation for its $3 billion smelter project in East Java, while PT Aneka Tambang Tbk is looking for additional investors to start construction of its ferronickel smelter project in Tanjung Bili at the end of 2020. Indonesia currently has 35 smelter expansion projects worth $8.7 billion and over $4 billion grassroots smelter projects as the companies ramp up smelting output in nickel pig iron (NPI), aluminum, and nickel.