According to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), both smelters have a large production capacity and large investment.
"Downstream (of industry) by the construction of smelters is indeed bring a huge investment, as you can see for yourself," the President said while officiating the opening of a smelter belonging to PT Freeport Indonesia in Gresik, East Java, Monday.
He informed that the investment in the smelter belonging to PT Amman reached Rp21 trillion (USD1 = around Rp15,197), with its annual processing capacity pegged at 900 thousand tons of copper concentrate.
Meanwhile, investment in the construction of PT Freeport Indonesia's smelter stood at Rp56 trillion. The smelter has the capacity to produce 1.7 million tons of copper concentrate.
After inaugurating the two smelters on Monday, President Widodo is scheduled to open the Smelter Grade Alumina Refinery (SGAR) owned by PT Borneo Alumina Indonesia in Mempawah District, West Kalimantan Province, on Tuesday.
"Tomorrow, we will also inaugurate a smelter for bauxite that produces aluminum in Mempawah, West Kalimantan," he said.
The president further said he believes that the new government under the leadership of President-elect Prabowo Subianto is keen to support the downstreaming of the mining industry for other critical minerals such as copper, gold, and nickel.
The downstreaming of the mining industry is expected to make Indonesia an independent producer of derivative products.
"And it must immediately drive for derivative production so we can truly become cable producers, injection equipment producers, aluminum producers—we can produce everything ourselves, independently," Jokowi added.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi Gayati, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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