The Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ministry has confirmed that nickel mining activities at PT Gag Nikel in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, have resumed this month not as a return to full operations, but as part of a comprehensive environmental audit.

ESDM’s Director General for Minerals and Coal, Tri Winarno, stressed that the mine’s operation since September 3, 2025, was necessary to evaluate the company’s environmental performance.

“It’s not because their license was reinstated. Operations are required for a thorough environmental audit. Such evaluations must be done under operational conditions,” Tri told reporters at the Parliament complex in Jakarta on Monday, September 15, 2025.

PT Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state-owned mining company PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), had its operations suspended on June 5, 2025 by Minister Bahlil Lahadalia following mounting public concern over alleged ecological damage in Raja Ampat, which is globally recognized as one of the planet’s last pristine marine biodiversity hotspots.

Environment and Forestry Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said strict safeguards were being imposed on the company to minimize risks of pollution. Key requirements include preventing surface runoff from reaching nearby rivers or coastal waters.

“The most crucial point is ensuring no surface run off directly enters rivers or bodies of water. Settling ponds must be built with precision,” Hanif said in Denpasar as quoted by Antara on Sunday, September 14, 2025.

The ministry has mandated multiple settling ponds to filter runoff during heavy rains and instructed the company to install air quality monitoring stations.

“We are making sure emissions remain below permissible thresholds,” Hanif said.

While operational oversight remains under the ESDM ministry, Hanif underscored that Raja Ampat’s ecological vulnerability requires tighter supervision.

“This is a small island area, rich in biodiversity. Mining may be legally permitted under the law, but our task is to mitigate environmental risks,” he said.

The government previously revoked four mining permits in Raja Ampat − PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Nurham, PT Melia Raymond Perkasa, and PT Kawai Sejahtera − after finding that their concessions overlapped with protected zones. PT Gag Nikel, however, was only subject to a temporary suspension pending review.

Hanif noted that the company has consistently scored green and blue ratings over the past four years in the government’s environmental performance assessment program (PROPER). Nevertheless, monitoring will now be intensified from once every six months to once every two months.

“Environmentalists will always worry, and rightly so. That is why we must strike a balance between development and environmental protection. If damage is detected, our duty is to stop operations immediately,” Hanif concluded.