Govt grants two rare earth mining permits to Perminas

By Bernard Loebs

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has issued two mining business permits for rare earth minerals to state-owned PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Tri Winarno, Director General of Minerals and Coal at the ministry, said the permits cover the Botteng and Takandeang blocks.

“Two mining permits for Perminas have just been issued, for the Botteng and Takandeang blocks. Both are rare earth metal mines,” he told Petromindo.com.

He did not provide further details on the licences.

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The two blocks are located in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, and were previously proposed by the ministry’s Geological Agency to be designated as mining areas.

The Takandeang block spans about 3,740 hectares, while the Botteng block covers around 3,715 hectares, according to earlier government data.

Both areas are believed to contain rare earth elements, which are used in high-tech and clean energy applications, though detailed reserve estimates have not been disclosed.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak