On July 7 (Monday), Indonesia's Interior Minister Tito Karnavian stated on Monday that he had requested the country's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to relax the ban on copper concentrate exports for Amman Mineral International, citing the impact on the local economy.
Tito said that the economy of Nusa Tenggara Barat province, where Amman Mineral International is located, contracted by 1.47% YoY in Q1, affected by the company's inability to export its concentrates while its smelter was increasing capacity.
Indonesia has banned the export of copper concentrates and other raw mineral ores to encourage domestic metal processing. Export bans on some minerals have been in place since mid-2023, but Amman was allowed to export until December 2024, when a new smelter was expected to be operational.
In March this year, Amman's new smelter produced its first batch of copper cathode, a material used in manufacturing wires, cables, and electronic products. However, the company stated that "it would take time to stabilize and calibrate operations to achieve optimal and continuous production."
Tito said at a weekly government meeting, "I have asked the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources if it is possible to allow exports while we wait for the smelter to be completed."
However, he did not disclose the response received.
In February this year, Amman stated that it had sought flexibility from the government to allow it to export copper concentrates. Amman's copper smelter has an annual production capacity of 220,000 mt of copper cathode.
