Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Approves RKAB for Nickel Extraction: 152.6 Million Tons Granted
JAKARTA – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), operating through the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal (Dirjen Minerba), has recently disclosed its approval of the mineral Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) for the period spanning 2024-2025.
Ministry Approval: Dredging Operations for Nickel Extraction
Acting as the Director General of Mineral and Coal, Bambang Suswantono, announced that a meticulous evaluation process had been undertaken for 731 RKAB submissions received by the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal (Ditjen Minerba). The outcome of this evaluation process has resulted in the approval of 201 applications with 191 being granted destinations, while 10 applications were not endorsed.
Bambang, speaking at a Hearing Meeting with Commission VII DPR RI on Tuesday, March 19, stated, “As of now, 530 applications are still under review, with opportunities provided for necessary enhancements in alignment with essential criteria.”
Providing further details, Bambang outlined that 191 companies had received approval, specifying their respective commodities. Nickel emerged as the predominant commodity, with 107 businesses granted approval, followed by bauxite with 19 companies, tin with 12, copper with 2, gold and silver with 19, iron concentrate with 23, and Garena ore with 1 company.
In terms of production capacity, nickel operations have been permitted to extract 152.6 million tons, while bauxite, lead, copper, gold, silver, iron concentrate, and ore galena have been allocated specific tonnages.
Previously, during the same briefing, Bambang also disclosed the approval of 587 RKAB submissions for coal extraction.
Bambang specified that the approved RKAB for coal in 2024 amounted to 922.14 million tons, followed by 917.16 million tons in 2025, and 902.97 million tons in 2026.
It’s worth noting that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, through Ministerial Regulation (Permen) of Energy and Mineral Resources number 10 of 2023, has outlined procedures governing the preparation, submission, and approval of the Work Plan and Budget for mineral and coal mining activities. According to Article 3, paragraph 1 of this regulation, the RKAB for the Exploration Activity Stage is valid for 1 year, while the RKAB for the Production Operations Activity Stage extends to a period of 3 years.