A consortium of five of the larger Indonesian independent tin smelters plans to expand tin exports to 30,000 tonnes next year, if it is able to increase its mining lease area.
PT Bangka Belitung Timah Sejahtera is a venture established earlier this year to pool mining and ore sourcing by CV DS Jaya Abadi, CV Donna Kembara Jaya, PT Bangka Putra Karya, CV Duta Putra Bangka and PT Bukit Timah. The companies currently have mining leases covering 4,000 – 6,000 hectares and are seeking permits to double this.
A spokesman for the group told Bloomberg News that the five companies can each produce 500 tonnes per month and expect to export 25,000 tonnes of tin in total this year. Apart from the first three of the companies listed, only one other Indonesian private smelter, PT Bilitin Makmur Lestari, has exported any tin since the establishment of new export licencing regulations in February.
