Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Mining

  • Freeport Indonesia & Government Stuck on Divestment Valuation

    Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry stated that it will remain committed to the agreement that was made between Freeport Indonesia and the central government of Indonesia on 29 August 2017. However, although parent company Freeport-McMoran agreed to divest a majority stake in its Indonesian unit (Freeport Indonesia) in those negotiations, the exact divestment valuation is yet to be agreed upon.

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  • Mining News Indonesia: Government to Tender 5 Mining Areas

    The government of Indonesia is preparing tenders for five mining areas. These mining areas were previously operated by listed miners Vale Indonesia and Timah under coal mining licenses (in Indonesian: Perjanjian Karya Pengusahaan Pertambangan Batubara, or PKP2B) and contracts of work (in Indonesian: Kontrak Karya, or KK).

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  • Freeport & Indonesian Government Agree on New Mining Permit

    Arizona-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan finally reached an agreement with the Indonesian government regarding the extension of the permit to operate the Grasberg mine, the world's largest gold mine and third-largest copper mine, in Papua. Ignasius Jonan, Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, said Freeport can per direct apply for a 10-year permit extension to mine at Grasberg beyond the year 2021. Afterwards, it can apply once more for a 10-year extension.

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  • Update on Freeport Indonesia's Contract Dispute, No Arbitration?

    The management of gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia is optimistic that negotiations with the central government will be completed before the Idul Fitri celebrations in the last week of June 2017. If an agreement is reached, then the case will not require arbitration. Both parties are negotiating over a contract dispute that also prompted the subsidiary of the United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan to wind down operations (and fire staff) at its Grasberg mine in Papua.

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  • Mining in Indonesia: Nickel Price to Remain Under Pressure

    The nickel price is expected to remain under pressure up to (at least) the second half of 2018 due to the structural oversupply in the world market. So far this year the nickel price has fallen 9.38 percent to USD $9,080 per ton (London Metal Exchange). Analysts of the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. say nickel - used in stainless steel - is the worst-performing metal so far this year.

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  • Mining in Indonesia: Coal Price to Remain Stable on China Policies

    Despite seeing a supply surplus in Asia, coal prices are expected to remain stable in the foreseeable future supported by expectations of Chinese intervention into domestic coal production. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal and therefore the main determinant of the coal price. On Friday (19/05), the Newcastle coal index (May 2017 contracts) rose 0.27 percent to USD $74.25 per ton.

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  • Cleaning Up Indonesia's Chaotic Mineral & Coal Mining Sector

    Efforts of Indonesian authorities to clean up the nation's mineral and coal mining industries met resistance. Various local mining companies that saw their Mining Business Permit (in Indonesian: Izin Usaha Pertambangan, or IUP) being revoked by Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry object to the government's move, despite authorities' claim that they are only revoking those permits of miners that have failed to obtain the mandatory clean and clear certificate (CnC).

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  • Heavy Equipment Production in Indonesia to Grow 14% in 2017?

    Production of heavy equipment in Indonesia is targeted to grow 14 percent to 4,200 units in 2017, compared to 3,678 produced units in the preceding year. This growth should come on the back of rising activity in the nation's mining sector, particularly Indonesia's coal mining sector, in line with rising commodity prices.

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  • Mining Dispute Indonesia: Arbitration for Freeport & Government?

    The dispute between Freeport Indonesia and the Indonesian government may escalate now the former said it considers to seek international arbitration over the government's alleged breaching and violation of the existing Contract of Work (CoW) between both sides. Ever since the passing of Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law) there has been a high degree of uncertainty in Indonesia's mining sector.

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  • Holding Company for Indonesia's State-Owned Miners Ready in Q1-2017

    The government of Indonesia is nearing completion of the forming of holding companies for state-owned enterprises that are active in the oil & gas and mining sectors. It now only requires signing by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Last year Widodo approved plans to create five state holding companies in energy, mining, construction, housing, and financial services. Fully state-owned aluminium producer Inalum and energy company Pertamina will be the holding companies for activities in the mining and oil & gas sectors, respectively.

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Latest Columns Mining

  • Oil & Gas Industry: Understanding Indonesia's Cost Recovery Scheme

    Because we have received quite some questions about Indonesia's cost recovery scheme in the oil and gas industry, we decided to devote an article to this topic. Simply put, the oil recovery scheme that the Indonesian government applies in the upstream oil and gas industry concerns the reimbursement of exploration and production costs to oil and gas contractors. This should make oil and gas exploration in Indonesia more attractive and thus stop the two-decade long decline in the nation's oil output.

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  • 2009 Mining Law Indonesia: Mineral Ore Export Ban Delayed until 2022?

    Indonesia is currently discussing the revisions that need to be made to the 2009 Mining Law (Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining). As there is a lack of progress with the development of smelting (processing) facilities in Indonesia, authorities may decide to postpone the full implementation of the ban on exports of unprocessed mineral ore by five years. Initially, this ban was supposed to come into effect in January 2014. However, it was pushed back to 11 January 2017 to allow more time for smelter development in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

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  • Freeport Indonesia Requests New Copper Concentrate Export Permit

    Freeport Indonesia has requested for a recommendation from Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to obtain another six-month permit for the export of copper concentrate. The existing permit expires on 8 August 2016. Since Indonesia's ban on mineral ore exports was implemented in January 2014, Freeport Indonesia - subsidiary of US-based natural resources company Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc - has been required to obtain six-month permits in order to continue shipments of copper concentrate.

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  • Oil & Gas Industry: Indonesia to offer Open Bid Split Tender Schemes

    There is few interest from the private sector to participate in Indonesia's oil & gas block tenders. Besides Indonesia's unconducive investment climate (that includes weak government management, bureaucracy, an unclear regulatory framework and legal uncertainty), low global petroleum prices have also managed to curb investors' enthusiasm. In a bid to entice private investors the Indonesian government has decided to change the concept for oil & gas tenders in 2016 from a fixed revenue split to an open bid split scheme.

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  • Indonesia and Freeport Bargaining over 10.64% Stake

    The bargaining over the 10.64 percent stake in Freeport Indonesia has begun. Whereas Freeport proposed a price of USD $1.7 billion, Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources says the stake is only worth USD $630 million. Due to Government Regulation No. 77/2014 on the Implementation of Mineral and Coal Mining Business Activities, Freeport Indonesia - the local unit of US mining giant Freeport McMoRan - has to divest a 30 percent stake (to an Indonesian party) gradually up to the year 2019. Currently, the central government already owns a 9.36 percent stake in Freeport Indonesia.

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  • Should Indonesia Relax the Mineral Ore Export Ban? No Says AP3I

    According to the Association of Indonesian Processing and Refining Companies (AP3I), consumption of mineral ores in Indonesia will be solid starting from 2017 due to the start of operations of new smelters. Jonathan Handojo, Vice Chairman of the AP3I, says domestic consumption of nickel ore will reach 7 million tons in 2017, roughly the same amount of nickel ore that was exported in 2009 before the New Mining Law - which stipulates a ban on exports of mineral ore from Indonesia (per January 2014) - was revealed.

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  • Overlapping Land Conflicts & Troubled Mining Business Licenses in Indonesia

    West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan are the three Indonesian provinces that scored the worst in the Local Government Performance Index (in Indonesian: Indeks Kinerja Pemerintah Daerah, or IKPD). This index, compiled by Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), measures the degree of coordination and supervision within Indonesian provinces regarding policies and actions related to the prevention of corruption in the mining and energy sectors. The provinces that have the highest scores are Central Sulawesi and the Riau Islands.

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  • Flip-Flop in Indonesian Politics: Reviewing the Mineral Ore Export Ban

    The government of Indonesia is yet to find a middle way between encouraging the development of processing facilities for the country's mining output and the relaxation of mineral ore exports. Based on Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law), exports of mineral ore should have been fully banned in 2014. However, due to the lack of domestic smelting capacity a last-minute regulation was signed in early January 2014 by former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that softened this ban.

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  • Oil & Gas Mining Indonesia: Why Chevron Exits the East Kalimantan Block?

    Chevron Indonesia Company (CICO) announced on Tuesday (19/01) that it will return all its oil and gas assets in the East Kalimantan block back to the Indonesian government on 24 October 2018. Without elaborating on why the company exits the East Kalimantan oil & gas block after having exploited this block for about 50 years, Chuck Taylor, Managing Director Chevron IndoAsia Business Unit, confirmed CICO will not seek extension of its production sharing contract after 2018.

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  • Indonesian Mining Firm Aneka Tambang (Antam) Still in Troubled Waters

    New funds obtained from a rights issue and the revaluation of its assets will have a positive impact on Aneka Tambang (Antam), a diversified mining company in Indonesia. The miner, majority-owned by the Indonesian government, is engaged in all activities ranging from exploration, exploitation, processing, refining to the marketing of nickel ore, ferronickel, gold, silver, bauxite, coal and precious metals refining services. However, its corporate earnings remained disappointing so far in 2015.

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