Indonesia Likely to Keep Ban on Nickel Ore And Bauxite Exports
- Easing of moratorium was opposed by domestic smelting industry
- Govt aims to complete discussion on mineral policy next week
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Indonesia will probably drop a controversial plan to allow exports of low-grade nickel ore and bauxite amid opposition from local smelters and fears that it could upset Chinese investors who’ve poured billions of dollars into the country to build processing plants.
“Most likely, there won’t be any relaxation for exports of nickel ore and bauxite,” Luhut Panjaitan, acting energy and mineral resources minister, told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday. The country “has attracted investments of about $5 billion, including for stainless steel, so why do we need to export if we can process domestically?”