2 October 2020

An Indonesian nickel smelting project being built by China's Tsingshan Group and partner companies to produce battery-grade chemicals has withdrawn a request to dispose of waste in the ocean, a government official said [...].

PT Hua Pioneer Indonesia, the company that requested the deep-sea tailing approval on behalf of the project had cancelled its request, Nani Hendiarti, an official at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, told Reuters.

"Their main consideration was the complexity of the impact of sea tailing," said Nani, who is deputy of Environment and Forestry Coordination at the ministry. "They are now seeking other technological options."

A representative at PT Hua Pioneer Indonesia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials at the industrial park in Morawali on Sulawesi island where the project is being built declined to comment.

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Tapping Indonesia's rich supplies of nickel ore, China's Tsingshan Group, GEM Co Ltd and partners are building a high-pressure acid leaching plant to extract chemicals to be used in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

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