PRIORITIZING MINERAL CONSERVATION
In carrying out its operational activities, AMNT always applies good mining principles. In accordance with what is mandated by Indonesia’s regulation of the mineral and coal sector (Minerba), one aspect of the rule is mineral conservation, where companies optimize the management or utilization of mineral resources in a measurable, efficient, responsible, and sustainable manner.
This principle of mineral conservation is always being prioritized by AMNT, which is to strive for optimal recovery of minerals from ore to maximize resource utilization and minimize minerals wasted, known as tailings, which resulted in reducing the impact on the environment.
ORE PROCESSING
Mineral ores that have been excavated and transported in the mining process, are shipped to the crusher, and carried by the conveyor belt to the processing plant facility. Some of the stages of the process in the processing plant include:
Comminution
Flotation
Dewatering
After being crushed, the ore is refined to a suitable size for an optimal separation process.
It is a process of separating copper minerals from rocks, through the medium of water and air bubbles to produce concentrate liquid.
The process of separating water from the concentrate liquid produces the final product in the form of concentrated sand. The separated water is then used again for activities in the processing plant.
RESPONSIBLE TAILINGS MANAGEMENT
The mineral processing that AMNT conducts does not use chemicals that are toxic or harmful to the environment. Thus, the tailings that is placed on the deep sea consist of finely crushed rocks, just like rocks taken from nature. Through mineral conservation efforts that AMNT continues to improve, the content of minerals wasted with tailings is also getting lower, which results in the tailings becoming cleaner.
Batu Hijau mine is located next to the coast of West Sumbawa Regency, where there is a Senunu deep sea canyon. AMNT tailings is placed on the deep sea through a pipeline that ends at 125 meters below sea level (deep sea tailings placement – DSTP). The tailings from the channel fell to a depth of three kilometers right in the Senunu deep sea canyon.
Several studies have been conducted by various independent and credible educational and research institutions periodically since the inception of the DSTP. These studies concluded that there were no adverse environmental impacts outside the estimated and permitted zones. Regular monitoring is also carried out by the government, from the regional to the national level. AMNT always carries out its operations following good mining principles so that the quality parameters of tailings always comply with the quality standards the government has set.
RESPONSIBLE TAILINGS MANAGEMENT
The mineral processing that AMNT conducts does not use chemicals that are toxic or harmful to the environment. Thus, the tailings that is placed on the deep sea consist of finely crushed rocks, just like rocks taken from nature. Through mineral conservation efforts that AMNT continues to improve, the content of minerals wasted with tailings is also getting lower, which results in the tailings becoming cleaner.
Batu Hijau mine is located next to the coast of West Sumbawa Regency, where there is a Senunu deep sea canyon. AMNT tailings is placed on the deep sea through a pipeline that ends at 125 meters below sea level (deep sea tailings placement – DSTP). The tailings from the channel fell to a depth of three kilometers right in the Senunu deep sea canyon.
Several studies have been conducted by various independent and credible educational and research institutions periodically since the inception of the DSTP. These studies concluded that there were no adverse environmental impacts outside the estimated and permitted zones. Regular monitoring is also carried out by the government, from the regional to the national level. AMNT always carries out its operations following good mining principles so that the quality parameters of tailings always comply with the quality standards the government has set.
PROCESSING PLANT EXPANSION
With the growth of Batu Hijau’s Phase 8 and the excavation of ore from the Elang project in the future, the amount of ores that are being processed will experience a significant increase. Therefore, AMNT started a project to expand the processing plant in Batu Hijau to twice its original capacity. This expansion is also in line with the need for copper concentrate inputs for smelter facilities, which is 900 kilotons per year.
