Jakarta. Mining company Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara’s copper smelter in West Sumbawa is slated for completion by mid-2024, according to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during a visit to the construction ground on Tuesday.

A verification team sent by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry reported that the construction to date has reached about 51.63 percent.  

“If God is willing, the smelter is done by mid-2024. Once we finish working on the smelters, be it nickel, copper, bauxite, or tin, this will certainly bring added value,” Jokowi said.

“By added value, I mean it can be [a boost] to our export value or help spur as many jobs,” the president added.

Amman Mineral’s smelter is set to have a production capacity of 900,000 tons of copper concentrates per annum. The smelter will produce 220,000 tons of copper cathodes with a 99.99 percent purity level, as well as 830,000 tons per annum in sulfuric acid.

“If we integrate all [the smelters] nationwide and its derivative products, that would lead to lithium batteries and electric vehicles. Going forward, EVs will replace the internal combustion engine vehicles,” Jokowi said.

“This huge ecosystem is a leapfrog move for Indonesia to become a developed economy,” Jokowi said.

According to the 2023 US Geological Survey, Indonesia has 24 million tons of copper reserves. The country mined around 920,000 tons of copper throughout last year. Copper refinery production in 2022 also stood at 300,000 tons.