Antam's nickel mine output increased fourfold in the first quarter compared with the same period last year.

Tambang (Antam) said on Monday that its nickel ore production more than quadrupled in the first three months of 2021 compared with the same period last year.

Production of the Antam nickel mine was 2.64 million tons in the first quarter, up from 629000 tons in the same period in 2020, the company said in a statement. Meanwhile, Antam sold 1.6 million tons of nickel ore in the first quarter.

The company did not say why nickel ore production surged, but Indonesia, one of the world's largest producers, has vowed to expand the processing of nickel laterite used in lithium batteries as part of what will eventually become a global production and sales hub.

Antam's bauxite production also rose sharply in the first quarter, to 5.57354 billion tons, compared with 3.30984 billion tons last year. Bauxite sales soared to 3.84785 billion tonnes, up from 552.77 million tonnes a year ago.