JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia has agreed to grant copper miner Amman Mineral International a permit to export copper concentrate, a spokesperson for the energy ministry said on Tuesday, adding that the permit is now going through the administrative process.
Indonesia banned exports of copper concentrate and other raw minerals from mid-2023 to boost the domestic metal processing industry.
It let Amman continue exporting until December last year when it was expected to commission a new smelter. However, Amman requested another export permit after a fire broke out at the smelter in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province this year.
Indonesia allows exemptions to the export ban in cases of force majeure.
“In principle, it (the export permit) has been approved in a limited cabinet meeting due to force majeure as the smelter caught fire,” Dwi Anggia, the energy ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
The energy ministry now needs to issue an export recommendation to the trade ministry, so they can issue the export permit, Anggia said.
Amman did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia had said that the export permit might be valid for six months but gave no further details.
(Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati, Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway and Sharon Singleton)
