Under the umbrella of BUMN Holding Industri Pertambangan MIND ID, one of its members, PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam), has successfully initiated the East Halmahera Feronickel Plant project. This endeavor reached a significant milestone with the inaugural “first metal tapping” process on September 12, 2023.
The “first metal tapping” marks a pivotal phase in the commissioning of the Haltim Feronickel Plant, following the Electric Smelting Furnace (ESF) switch-on event held on July 19, 2023.
Heri Yusuf, the Secretary of MIND ID, affirmed that Antam’s operation of the Haltim Feronickel Plant has been part of MIND ID’s commitment to support downstream activities in the mining sector.
“MIND ID will continue to uphold the government’s mandate to become a world-class company by harnessing and utilizing Indonesia’s mineral reserves,” he stated.
Effort to boost Indonesia’s mineral industry
The Haltim Feronickel Plant is a manifestation of Antam’s efforts to bolster the mineral industry in Indonesia and aligns with MIND ID’s commitment to focus on strategic company projects in 2023.
The “first metal tapping” at the Haltim Feronickel Plant is the third stage in the commissioning process, targeted for completion by the end of the third quarter of 2023.
“I Dewa Wirantaya, Director of Business Development at ANTAM, emphasized, “Antam is committed to ensuring the stability and safety of plant operations, including during the commissioning process. With the execution of the first metal tapping process, Antam will commence preparations for commercial production.”
The initial stages of the Haltim Feronickel Plant’s operation began on July 7, 2023, marked by the “burner-on” process, which involves heating the furnace before applying electrical current.
Following the completion of the furnace process, the Haltim Feronickel Plant proceeded with the “switch on furnace” phase, officially launching the nickel smelting plant in conjunction with chromium metal.
In 2020, Antam continued its progress in completing Phase I Line I of the Haltim Feronickel Plant. In addition, Antam also completed the supporting infrastructure for the plant, which had been under construction since 2017.
By December 2020, physical construction progress of the plant had reached an impressive 98.12% completion. Alongside the feronickel processing plant, Antam continued developing supporting infrastructure in 2020, including the expansion of the town site area and other infrastructure in line with established targets and plans.
Located in Halmahera Timur, North Maluku, the Haltim Feronickel Plant is set to have a production capacity of 13,500 Metric Tons of Nickel in Feronickel (TNi).
Upon full operation, it will complement the feronickel production from the Kolaka Feronickel Plant in Southeast Sulawesi, which boasts a capacity of 27,000 TNi. This will bring Antam’s installed portfolio of feronickel production capacity to an impressive 40,500 TNi.
Moreover, the Haltim Feronickel Plant will be equipped with various key production facilities, including a 170-ton-per-hour Rotary Dryer, a 165-ton-per-hour Rotary Kiln, a 60 MW Electric Smelting Furnace, and other supporting production facilities.
