JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia may decide this week whether to resume nickel ore exports after halting shipments to investigate reports of export rule violations, a senior official from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said on Wednesday.
The Maritime and Investment Affairs Coordinating Ministry, which has overall responsibility for mining activities, meets on Thursday to review the results of the investigation, Yunus Saefulhak, the director of minerals, told a conference.
The government ordered a temporary halt to exports of nickel ore on Oct. 28 following reports that exports had surged after Indonesia said an export ban would be implemented from January 2020, bringing it forward from 2022.
The export surge reportedly included large sales of high-grade nickel ore from Indonesia, which only allows exports of ore with less than 1.7% nickel content.
Luhut Pandjaitan, the maritime and investment affairs coordinating minister, also told reporters on Wednesday the government would launch legal action against those who violated ore export rules in future.
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