Inalum to import 550,000t alumina this year

By Thomas Sembiring

State-owned aluminum producer PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) plans to import 550,000 tons of alumina, a key raw material in aluminum production, from Australia and India this year.

?We?ll import 550,000 tons of alumina from Australia and India,? said President Director Winardi late last week.

In a bid to stop raw material import, the company is teaming up with state-controlled mining firm PT Aneka Tambang Tbk to build a smelter grade alumina in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, which will process bauxite into alumina. The two are still seeking another partner for the planned project, of which part of the output will be exported.

Inalum, which operates an aluminum production facility in Kuala Tanjung, North Sumatra, has allocated US$200 million for capital expenditure this year.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak