Indonesia may delay 2017 ban on copper concentrate exports

Indonesia could push back a ban on exports of copper and other mineral concentrates due to come into effect in January 2017 if miners have not built new domestic smelters in time, a mining ministry official said on Wednesday. Early last year Southeast Asia's largest economy put in place export restrictions aimed at forcing mining firms to develop smelting and processing facilities so that Indonesia could refine all of its own raw ores and concentrates.
"If it's not built by 2017 this could have consequences for the regulations," Coal and Minerals Director General Sukhyar told reporters after meeting with copper miners including US companies Freeport-McMoRan Inc and Newmont Mining Corp to discuss compliance with the smelting rules. "In Papua alone it will take five years until 2020 (to build a smelter)," he said. "So there's a possibility the regulation will be revised to extend exports beyond 2017."