The Indonesian government has given the green light to 38 out of 84 mining quota revision requests for the year 2023, including nickel, coal, or other minerals, as disclosed by a mining ministry official on November 6. Bambang Suswantono, the official, did not provide specific information about the distribution of requests among different minerals, Reuters reported. He also mentioned that 22 revision requests were declined for various reasons.
Miners in Indonesia, particularly those in the nickel sector, have encountered significant delays in obtaining revisions to their mining quota documents, known as RKAB. These delays were primarily attributed to an ongoing investigation into illegal nickel mining operations within the country. The RKAB is a crucial document issued by the Indonesian government to regulate and determine the allowable quantity of ore that miners are permitted to extract over a specific period.
In an effort to enhance efficiency of the approval process, Indonesia has introduced the revised e-RKAB work plan system, planning to extend the validity of these mining quota documents from the current one-year duration to three years, beginning in 2024.
