Rio Tinto to start nickel ore production in 2018
Thursday, September 27 2012 - 02:41 AM WIB
British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto aims to start nickel ore production in 2018 at its mining concessions in the border areas of Konawe and Morowali regencies on the Island of Sulawesi. The company is currently at the stage of conducting exploration and pre-feasibility study.
The company started exploration in 2010 after obtaining the IUP mining business permit. ?We?ll begin production after eight years of exploration. The initial production capacity will be 45,000 tons of nickel. ?We?ll then try to double this,? PT Rio Tinto Indonesia Manager of Community Relations and External Affairs, Budi Irianto, told Petromindo.com Wednesday.
Budi added that Rio Tinto plans to process the entire nickel ore output into nickel metal as part of the company?s downstream strategy.
?So, we?ll refine our nickel products by up to 90 percent,? he said, while adding that the company has yet to determine the potential markets for its products.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak