"Indonesia: PT Weda Bay Nickel-01/Weda Bay"

Synopsis

Complaint

PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) is proposing to develop a nickel and cobalt mine and a hydrometallurgical processing plant in Central Halmahera and East Halmahera Regencies in the North Maluku Province of eastern Indonesia.  In August 2010, MIGA issued a guarantee of $207 million to Strand Minerals for its equity investment in the PT Weda Bay Nickel Project. Strand Minerals is jointly owned by Eramet SA of France and Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan.

In July 2010, a complaint from Indonesian NGOs and concerned citizens was filed with the CAO.  The signatories of the complaint comprise both national NGOs, local NGOs and directly affected people living in Halmahera Island.  Broadly, the most important issues raised in the complaint are environmental impacts to forests, fields, and bodies of water on which communities in the area depend.  The complainants have requested confidentiality.

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Status

The CAO concluded that the case did not merit an audit of MIGA at the current stage, and the case was closed in October 2011.