Indonesia maps rare earth reserves for industry goals

FILE PHOTO: Rare earths dug up and processed into concentrate at Mount Weld in Western Australia, are pictured after being shipped to the Lynas plant in Gebeng, Malaysia, July 3, 2014. REUTERS/Sonali Paul/File Photo

JAKARTA: The government has laid out plans to map Indonesia’s rare earth element reserves as part of a wider plan to develop downstream rare earth industries.

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry mining director general Ridwan Djamaluddin said that the ministry had identified eight locations that contained rare earth reserves, with plans to explore more areas up until 2024.