Indonesian Minister of Mines: Indonesia Issues Regulations to Help Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Obtain Mining Concessions

On Thursday, October 9, Indonesia's Minister of Mining stated that Indonesia has introduced a regulation aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives obtain mining permits without going through the tender process.

This new regulation is based on a law passed in February, which grants priority access to certain mining areas for smaller companies, including business units of religious groups.

Previously, Indonesia had prioritized only state-owned enterprises in resource allocation.

Minister of Mining Bahlil Lahadalia said at an economic conference that only those small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives meeting specific criteria would be eligible for priority access.

Bahlil remarked in his speech, "If we continue with the tender process, when will justice be achieved?"

Indonesia is the world's largest producer of nickel and exporter of thermal coal, and it also possesses abundant metal deposits such as tin, copper, and bauxite.

The country has also been striving to extract rare earth elements from by-products generated during the processing of nickel and tin.