JAKARTA: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo inaugurated a $941 million smelter-grade alumina refinery operated by state miner Aneka Tambang (Antam) and state-owned aluminium producer Inalum in West Kalimantan province on September 24, 2024.
The refinery has a production capacity of 1 million metric tons of alumina per year, requiring 3.3 million tons of bauxite as input. Plans are in place to double the plant's production capacity and establish an aluminium plant to further process the alumina output, as stated by Hendi Prio Santoso, CEO of MIND ID, the parent company of both Inalum and Antam.
President Widodo highlighted that Indonesia's domestic aluminium demand stands at 1.2 million tons, with 56 percent currently imported despite having sufficient raw materials. The completion of these projects is anticipated to eliminate the need for imports.