Indonesia considering revoking environmental permit of nickel company after fatal landslide, minister says


JAKARTA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Indonesia is considering revoking the environmental permit of PT QMB New Energy Materials, a nickel and cobalt joint venture led by China's GEM, on the island of Sulawesi after a landslide hit a mine waste zone at its nickel processing hub, environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said on Monday.

Here are some details:

* The landslide occurred last week in a tailings area run by PT QMB, a tenant of PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), and was suspected to have been caused by soft soils. It killed one local contractor, IMIP said.

* Environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq was quoted by state news agency Antara on Monday as saying that the ministry is considering revoking the permit due to repeated fatal incidents.

* "We're doing a thorough assessment, we will immediately formulate plans to revoke the environmental permit," he said.

* QMB was forced to suspend almost all production in March 2025 after a deadly landslide left four workers buried under nickel mine waste.

* PT IMIP is the largest nickel-processing hub in resource-rich Indonesia and has over 50 tenants, mainly makers of nickel products used in stainless steel and EV battery materials, according to the company website.

* Chinese steelmaker Tsingshan Holding Group is among PT IMIP's shareholders.

* Neither Tsingshan nor GEM responded immediately to requests for comment on Monday.

* Hanif did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by David Stanway) -- Reuters

 

 

 

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