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Unfashionable sections of the mining industry are riding a wave of investor support as law changes in Indonesia stoke demand for nickel and bauxite exposure.

Australian nickel stocks such as Western Areas, Sirius Resources and Panoramic Resources enjoyed healthy share price rises on Monday as the nickel price rose to two-week highs, while Alumina Ltd also rose on expectations that demand will increase for Australian bauxite.

Even BHP Billiton, which is keen to dispose of its nickel and bauxite assets, enjoyed a share price boost, and some believe the Indonesian ban could help the company sell its struggling nickel assets.

The ban that Indonesia implemented on Sunday is designed to stop exports of unprocessed ore in an attempt to force companies to build refineries and smelters on Indonesian soil.

While some exclusions have been granted for copper and gold miners and others who have promised to build downstream operations, Indonesia’s export of nickel and bauxite to China is expected to be significantly hampered.

Read more at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/boost-for-nickel-stocks-as-indonesia-tightens-supply-20140113-30qsd.html#ixzz2qKk4orFv

Jan 13 (Reuters) – Japan, home to some of the world’s biggest stainless steel producers, will face higher costs and a scramble to find new nickel supply after Indonesia enforced an export ban on the raw material.

Global nickel prices and mining shares rallied a day after Indonesia banned unprocessed exports of nickel and bauxite, in a move aimed at getting higher returns for its resources by forcing companies to refine the minerals on Indonesian soil.

Read more at: http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/13/indonesia-minerals-japan-idINL3N0KI28720140113

“Indonesia appears to be willing to allow miners who do some degree of processing or have definite plans for smelters in place to keep exporting but is still acting tough with the little guys,” Keith Loveard, a risk analyst at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting, said yesterday, pointing to about 4,000 companies with mining business licenses.

The naval base that covers the Riau Islands is intensifying patrols to prevent ore from being shipped overseas, the Jakarta Post reported today, citing the base’s commander, Rear Admiral Agus Heryana. The Riau islands and region of West Kalimantan hold most of country’s bauxite resources, the report said.

Read more at:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-13/indonesia-bans-ore-exports-in-compromise-push-for-smelting-1-.html

Ministry of Finance ordered customs officials in seaports across the country to supervise all export activities to make sure no ores are shipped out beginning Sunday.

Minister of Industry M.S. Hidayat said that companies are still allowed to export concentrates of certain purification level until 2017, but they have to pay an export tax.

“We will impose the progressive export tax, which means the higher the purification level, the lower export tax,” Hidayat said.

Read more at:  http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/indonesia/2014/01/13/398255/Indonesian-law.htm

Wrangling over a $6 billion-plus underground expansion of Oyu Tolgoi, Rio Tinto’s (LON:RIO) massive copper-gold mine in Mongolia, could be resolved by the end of the month.

UBPost News reports Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi director Da.Ganbold, representing the Mongolian government’s 34% stake in the project told local news media “only a few critical issues remain,” including water usage which is close to being settled, royalties, details the phase 2 pre-feasibility study and what Mongolia alleges is overspending by Rio to the tune of $2 billion.

Read more at: http://www.mining.com/mongolia-sees-oyu-tolgoi-deal-this-month-20529/

The ban on mineral-ore exports from Indonesia, the world’s biggest nickel producer, is poised to benefit neighboring miners in the Philippines, who are predicting an increase in sales.

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-12/philippines-sees-nickel-boon-on-indonesia-s-ban-southeast-asia.html

Jan 12 (Reuters) – Exports of Indonesian nickel and bauxite concentrates are prohibited under a new mineral export ban which came into effect on Sunday and regulations passed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono do not change that, said a senior government official.

The president in a last-minute regulation late Saturday allowed the exports of copper, lead, zinc, iron ore and manganese concentrate to continue despite the ban.

“Minerals that have to be refined before export are bauxite, nickel, tin, chromium, gold and silver because they don’t have intermediate products,” Sukhyar, director general of coal and minerals at the ministry, told Reuters.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/12/indonesia-minerals-regulation-idUSL3N0KM05920140112

Does it mean that Nickel Pig Iron and Ferro-Nickel can not be exported as well?

 

Indonesia, among the world’s biggest suppliers of natural resources, halted all mineral ore exports yesterday to try to promote domestic processing in a move that threatens nickel and bauxite industries worth more than US$2 billion in ann

rual shipments.

Halting exports of nickel ore could spark the biggest shake-up in the global nickel trade in more than five years, with Chinese stainless-steel factories that make everything from kitchenware to cars and buildings set to hurt the most.

In one of his most far-reaching economic policy decisions since taking office nearly 10 years ago, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approved the mineral ore export ban.

But in last-minute changes at the weekend, he diluted it to allow exports of copper, iron ore, lead and zinc concentrates to continue, giving a reprieve to United States mining giants Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold and Newmont Mining, which together produce 97 per cent of Indonesia’s copper.

No such relief was offered to the nickel and bauxite industries, clouding the future for state-owned nickel miner Perusahaan Perseroan Aneka Tambang (Antam) and hundreds of other smaller miners.

Read more at: http://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1403773/ore-ban-threatens-chinese-factories

China’s stranglehold on the global aluminium industry could be weakened by changes to export laws in Indonesia, according to American giant Alcoa.

Indonesia on Sunday enforced a long-awaited mineral export law that effectively bans unprocessed ores from leaving Indonesian shores.

The policy is designed to force companies to build processing plants and other downstream infrastructure on Indonesian soil, and pundits expect it to affect the trade of bauxite and nickel in particular, and possibly tin.

Read more at: http://www.smh.com.au/business/indonesian-mineral-export-law-a-threat-to-chinas-aluminium-production-20140112-30oob.html#ixzz2qCWLffsn

Jan 12 (Reuters) – Hundreds of small Indonesian mines, like nickel miner Mobi Jaya Persada, are preparing for the worst after the government imposed a controversial mineral export ban on Sunday that could force them to close down.

Mobi Jaya Presada, which contributes to Indonesia being the world’s biggest exporter of nickel ore that is used in stainless steel production, has already laid off half of its 100 employees ahead of the ban coming into force.

“We’ve already started reducing the workforce and we’re going to continue if the regulation stops ore exports,” said Roy Kojongan, business development manager for the remote Mobi Jaya Persada, adding the company only had 44 employees left.

“It’s not fair for the people of Indonesia.”

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/12/indonesia-minerals-miners-idUSL3N0KM01S20140112