PT Amman Mineral Internasional (AMMAN) targets the initial cathode production from the copper refining and processing facility (smelter) to be carried out by the end of this month as the commissioning phase of the facility is underway.

The US$1.4 billion (Rp22.91 trillion) smelter is located in West Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara and has a processing capacity of 900 tons of copper concentrate per year.

Of this amount, the factory can produce 220 thousand tons of copper cathode, 801 thousand tons of sulfuric acid, 18 tons of gold, 55 tons of silver and 77 tons of selenium.

"We managed to produce the first copper anode on February 12, 2025," AMMAN President Director, Alexander Ramlie, said on Friday, March 21, 2025.

He, however, said that the company faced technical challenges in the process of changing the company from a concentrate producer to a producer of copper cathodes and gold bullion.

Alexander also said there was a significant increase in mine production, gold and concentrate which exceeded performance guidance by 6 percent, 7 percent and 6 percent respectively.

AMMAN has earlier expected that the government would provide relaxation for copper concentrate exports in 2025 in view of the company's slow smelter commissioning process and its concentrate input capacity which is still at 40 percent.

President Director of Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara, a subsidiary of AMMAN, Rachmat Makkasau said that his party was being careful in conducting the factory trials.

"We are conducting experiments here and there to ensure that capacity can be achieved quickly," he told a hearing with Commission XII of the House of Representatives (DPR) on February 19, 2025.

AMMAN had previously received a relaxation on copper concentrate exports but it ended on December 31, 2024. This was due to the slow progress of the smelter. Rachmat said that if the State permits, the stock can be sold to other countries to maximize state revenue.

"We hope that the progress of commissioning and start-up can run well and quickly so that our products can be absorbed," Rachmat said on Friday, March 21, 2025.