TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution said that the smelter construction by mineral concentrate exporting companies will require some time. Therefore, Darmin stated that the government will allow work contract holder companies to export mineral concentrate for the next five years.
"[Smelters] require expensive investment. That is why, permission [to export mineral concentrate] has been provided for the next five years. We cannot [smelters] to be completed in one or two years. It is impossible," Darmin said at his office on Friday, January 13, 2017.
Darmin stated his support on mandatory requirement for mineral concentrate exporting companies to provide their commitment in smelter construction to the government. "If there is no commitment, there will be no [concentrate export]. So there needs to be commitment [from exporting companies]," Darmin said.
Darmin also supported the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Regulation that mandates mineral concentrate exporting companies to pay a maximum export duty of 10 percent to compensate for their commitment on constructing a smelter.
Last Wednesday, January 11, 2017, the government had issued Government Regulation No. 1/2017 and its implementing regulation, the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Regulation N0. 5/2017, which extended the period of mineral concentrate export for work contract holder companies for the next five years.
ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI
