The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has officially designated 47 critical mineral mining commodities as part of the government’s future strategic program.
Two of them are nickel and tin because they are the key components for making electric vehicle batteries and the battery energy storage system (BEES) facility as infrastructure to support the energy transition in Indonesia.
Irwandy Arif, Special Staff of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Acceleration of Mineral and Coal Management (Minerba) said that the determination of the classification of critical minerals has the aim of maintaining nickel and tin reserves and resources as the main minerals to support the energy transition ecosystem.
Meanwhile, ESDM also includes the minerals aluminum, cobalt, lithium, silica, zirconium to thorium into the classification of critical minerals.
“It’s official, there are 47 minerals classified as critical minerals,” said Irwandy, on August 25, 2023.
He explained, minerals that are included in the classification of critical minerals will get priority for further processing or downstream processing in the country.
The categorization of critical minerals is expected to be able to encourage the development of the downstream manufacturing industry for manufacturers of national strategic industrial components.
Some of the minerals proposed in Indonesia to support national strategic industries, support increased added value, and consider the availability of mine deposits, processing technology, and supply risks in the global market, and there are no feasible substitute materials.
Initially, this grouping of critical minerals refers to the factors of limited supply, economic value, high prices, and use in various industrial sectors, especially high technology industries.
Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey said that critical minerals are minerals with essential value to the economy and national defense and have vulnerability in supply.
This grouping also takes into account aspects of market dynamics and the value of benefits for the economy and national defense.
