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FACTBOX-Indonesia’s new processing proposal for mineral exports

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

 Below is a table of the proposed minimum percentage
requirements to export compared to regulations due to come into
effect on Jan. 12. The proposal must still be approved by
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

    See related story at.

         Mineral/Metal     Proposed        Current
                          regulation     regulation*
                copper        15              98
               bauxite      45/98**           98
        lateritic iron        51              75
          primary iron        62              75
             manganese        40              60
             zirconium        65.5            99
      zirconium silica        64              65.5
                nickel        4***            6

Read more at: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/indonesia-minerals-processing-idINL3N0KI2EO20140108

Ibris Nickel stops Indonesia ore mining ahead of export ban

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

JAKARTA (REUTERS) –

Singapore’s Ibris Nickel Pte Ltd said on Tuesday it had temporarily stopped operations at its 2-million-tonne-per-year nickel mine in Indonesia, amid uncertainty surrounding a planned ban on unprocessed metal ore exports.

It is the first company to announce it is putting operations on hold pending the ban.

Indonesia mineral export ban uncertainty starts to bite

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Jan 7 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s planned mineral export ban – a policy designed to force miners to process their ores domestically – is sending shudders through the economy, with a Singapore-owned nickel miner suspending operations ahead of the Jan. 12 ban.

Indonesia is the world’s top exporter of nickel ore, thermal coal and refined tin, but also has significant exports of iron ore a

Outotec to deliver minerals processing technology to Norilsk Nickel in Russia

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Outotec has signed a contract with Norilsk Nickel for the delivery of minerals processing technology and equipment to the second phase expansion of the Talnakh copper-nickel concentrator in the Krasnoyarsky Region in Russia. The value of comparable deliveries is typically €60-80 million. Outotec will deliver a fully automated flotation complex with performance guarantees including Outotec TankCell^® flotation cells in different sizes as well as Outotec^® High Rate thickeners, electrification and a process control system. In addition, Outotec provides plant commissioning services and spare parts for two years.

Vale suspends force majeure on iron ore shipments

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Brazilian mining giant Vale said Monday it had suspended with immediate effect force majeure on iron ore shipments contracts.

The world’s main producer had declared force majeure — limiting its liabilities owing to circumstances beyond its control — on December 27 after bad weather in Brazil’s southeast disrupted operations and shipments.

2014 FORECAST: Next chapter of Indonesian exports ban story begins January 12

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A last-minute presidential or Supreme Court intervention may add another dimension to the much talked-about, hugely convoluted Indonesian minerals export ban, which is slated, but not set in stone, for a January 12 roll-out.

The argument about the need for resource nationalism is not unique to Indonesia, but the country still needs infrastructure – including roads, ports and energy plants – to be able to attract more investment in the downstream industry. If the ban goes through, minerals including nickel ore, copper, bauxite and gold shipments will be affected – to varying degrees though. The government will issue a regulation before January 12 stating which minerals can be exported, but it’s not yet clear if big producers like Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold and Newmont Mining will be able to ship copper concentrates after January 12. There have been various lobbying efforts by companies and officials alike to delay the ban, get clarity on the ban and/or allow for exports if there were plans for building downstream plants.

Metals

Tata Steel plans to enter Indonesia this year

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

KOLKATA, JAN. 3:

Tata Steel is expanding presence in the Asia-Pacific region and improving profitability by increasing efficiency in the operatives there.

T.V. Narendran, Managing Director, told Business Line that the company has decided to enter Indonesia with downstream products in early 2014-15.

Minmetals Development to Buy Units for $1.64 Billion

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Minmetals Development Co. (600058), a Chinese importer and exporter of metals and minerals, plans to buy iron-ore assets for 9.9 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) from its controlling shareholder.

From Ore to Nuggets, With Peril

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

CISITU, Indonesia — In the remote mountains of West Java, workers like 15-year-old David Mario Chandra are an integral part of Indonesia’s gold industry.

A workshop next to his family’s house in Cisitu, in Banten Province, contains machinery that turns gold ore into usable nuggets. The procedure seems simple enough: The crushed ore is tumbled with other ingredients in cylinders called balls until the valuable stuff is amalgamated. But there is a crucial material — and a final step — that alarms environmental and health experts around the world.

Chile Debates Bill Making Mines Use Desalinated Seawater

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Chilean lawmakers have presented a bill that would force mining companies including Anglo American Plc and BHP Billiton Plc to run all of their copper mines in Chile using desalinated water from the Pacific Ocean.

The lower chamber of deputies’ measure that was introduced last month would require mines using more than 150 liters (40 gallons) of water a second to incorporate seawater in their operations, according to a statement on the Congress website. A third of the world’s copper supply comes from Chilean mines.