Monthly Archives: October 2024

Credit: Harita Nickel/TBPCredit: Harita Nickel/TBPPress Release

Tambang Harita Nickel di Kawasi jadi yang pertama di Indonesia yang berkomitmen untuk diaudit oleh IRMA

[English version]

Seattle/Jakarta – 07 Oct 2024 – PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk, atau Harita Nickel, sebuah perusahaan pertambangan dan pemrosesan nikel terintegrasi, telah berkomitmen untuk melakukan penilaian independen pihak ketiga terhadap Standar IRMA untuk Pertambangan yang Bertanggung Jawab. Tambang Harita Nickel yang berlokasi di Pulau Obi, Halmahera Selatan, Maluku Utara, merupakan yang pertama di Indonesia yang secara resmi berkomitmen untuk diaudit oleh IRMA.

“Dengan mengajukan diri agar operasi pertambangannya untuk diaudit secara independen terhadap standar pertambangan global yang paling ketat di dunia, Harita Nickel menjadi contoh mengenai transparansi operasional pertambangan yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya di Indonesia,” ucap Direktur Eksekutif IRMA, Aimee Boulanger. “Harita akan memberikan informasi kepada para pemangku kepentingan yang terdampak yang dapat mereka gunakan untuk berinteraksi dengan perusahaan mengenai cara bagaimana mendorong agar pertambangan mereka lebih bertanggung jawab. Ini merupakan momen yang tepat mengingat pentingnya peran nikel dalam mendukung transisi energi, dan permintaan dari pembeli di hilir untuk mendapatkan nikel yang ditambang secara lebih bertanggung jawab, khususnya untuk sektor otomotif dan energi terbarukan.”

“Komitmen Harita Nickel untuk menjalani audit IRMA yang ketat mencerminkan dedikasi mereka terhadap praktik penambangan yang bertanggung jawab di Indonesia. Kami sangat mengapresiasi inisiatif mereka, yang tidak hanya menjadi tolok ukur bagi industri, tetapi juga mendukung visi pemerintah untuk sektor pertambangan yang lebih transparan serta bertanggung jawab secara lingkungan dan sosial. Upaya ini menggarisbawahi pentingnya penyelarasan industrialisasi nasional dengan standar global, memastikan manfaat jangka panjang bagi masyarakat dan lingkungan kita,” kata Septian Hario Seto, Deputi Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Kemaritiman dan Investasi Indonesia.

“Kami ingin para pembeli kami yakin bahwa mereka membeli nikel yang didapatkan secara bertanggung jawab,” kata Roy Arman Arfandy, Direktur Utama PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk (Harita Nickel). “Dengan menjalani audit IRMA yang independen, kami bertujuan untuk menyelaraskan operasi kami dengan praktik terbaik dan mengidentifikasi ruang untuk perbaikan yang berkelanjutan bersama dengan para pemangku kepentingan terdampak dan pemegang hak terkait. Kami berkomitmen untuk melakukan penyelarasan dengan standar internasional untuk penambangan yang bertanggung jawab dalam jangka panjang.”

Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) adalah (1) standar pertambangan sukarela yang menjelaskan praktik terbaik untuk melindungi masyarakat dan lingkungan, (2) proses penjaminan untuk mengukur tambang terhadap standar tersebut, dan (3) organisasi yang dikelola secara setara oleh perwakilan dari enam sektor pemangku kepentingan yang terdampak – masyarakat, buruh terorganisasi, LSM, keuangan, pembeli, dan perusahaan pertambangan — yang mengendalikan standar dan proses jaminan. IRMA unik secara global karena tata kelolanya memberikan masyarakat kekuatan yang sama dengan perusahaan pertambangan, dan kepentingan nonkomersial memiliki kekuatan yang sama dengan kepentingan komersial.

Harita Nickel memiliki izin pertambangan yang memulai operasinya di tahun 2010. Melalui anak perusahaan dan afiliasinya, Harita Nickel telah mengoperasikan smelter bijih nikel kadar tinggi (saprolit) sejak tahun 2017, fasilitas pemurnian bijih nikel kadar rendah (limonit) sejak tahun 2021, dan fasilitas produksi nikel sulfat dan kobalt sulfat sejak tahun 2023. Semua fasilitas ini berlokasi di dua wilayah konsesi pertambangan aktif Harita Nickel. Harita Nickel memproduksi bahan baku utama untuk baterai kendaraan listrik – dengan memproses dan memurnikan bijih nikel kadar rendah (limonit) menggunakan teknologi High-Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL) untuk menghasilkan Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), yang kemudian diproses lebih lanjut menjadi nikel sulfat (NiSO4) dan kobalt sulfat (CoSO4).

SCS Global Services, firma audit independen yang disetujui IRMA, akan melakukan penilaian, yang mencakup tinjauan meja (tahap 1) diikuti oleh audit lapangan (tahap 2) [English]. Dengan menggunakan informasi kontak di bawah ini, anggota masyarakat yang terkena dampak, pejabat publik, perwakilan tenaga kerja, atau pihak berkepentingan lainnya diundang untuk menyampaikan komentar dari saat ini mengenai bagaimana lokasi tambang mengelola dampaknya terhadap lingkungan termasuk udara, air, limbah, gas rumah kaca, dan ekosistem; bagaimana tambang mendukung tenaga kerja mereka; dan bagaimana tambang berinteraksi dengan masyarakat sekitar, dan bagaimana hal itu berdampak pada masyarakat. Pihak yang berkepentingan juga dapat meminta untuk diwawancarai oleh auditor setelah mereka berada di lokasi tambang.

Untuk Informasi Lebih Lanjut

  • Untuk mengikuti perkembangan penilaian IRMA, kunjungi situs web IRMA untuk halaman status penilaian independen Harita Nickel [English]
  • Untuk sumber daya berbahasa Indonesia atau untuk menghubungi Koordinator Penjangkauan Masyarakat IRMA yang berbasis di Indonesia, Andre Barahamin, kunjungi halaman selamat datang di Indonesia IRMA
  • Jika Anda ingin mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut tentang bagaimana audit dilakukan terhadap standar IRMA — hubungi Direktur Jaminan IRMA: Michelle Smith, msmith@responsiblemining.net [English]
  • Pihak yang tertarik dapat menghubungi firma audit independen SCS Global Services  (feedback@scsglobalservices.com), untuk berkomentar atau meminta untuk diwawancarai sebagai bagian dari proses audit. Setidaknya 30 hari sebelum audit di tempat, SCS akan membuat pengumuman dan undangannya sendiri secara langsung ke komunitas lokal
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Credit: Harita Nickel/TBPCredit: Harita Nickel/TBPPress Release

Harita Nickel mine is first in Indonesia to commit to IRMA audit

[Indonesian version]

Seattle/Jakarta – 07 Oct 2024 –  PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk  or Harita Nickel, an integrated nickel mining and processing company, has committed its nickel mining and related processing operations to third-party independent assessment against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. Harita Nickel’s mine is the first in Indonesia to formally commit to an IRMA audit. Harita Nickel is located on Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku.

“By volunteering the Harita Nickel mining operation for independent audit against the world’s most rigorous global mining standard, Harita Nickel is providing unprecedented transparency into the operations of an Indonesian mine,” said IRMA Executive Director Aimee Boulanger. “Harita will provide affected stakeholders with information they can use to engage the company in dialogue about how to make their mine more responsible. This is especially timely given the importance of nickel to support the energy transition, and the demand from downstream purchasers to source more responsibly mined nickel, particularly for the automotive and renewable energy sectors.”

“Harita Nickel’s commitment to undergoing the rigorous IRMA audit reflects their dedication to responsible mining practices in Indonesia. We highly appreciate their initiative, which not only sets a benchmark for the industry but also supports the government’s vision for a more transparent, and environmentally and socially responsible mining sector. This effort underscores the importance of aligning national industrialization with global standards, ensuring long-term benefits for our communities and the environment,” said Septian Hario Seto, Indonesia’s Deputy of Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment. 

“We want our purchasers to have confidence that they are buying responsibly sourced nickel,” said Roy Arman Arfandy, President Director of PT Trimegah Bangun Persada, Tbk (Harita Nickel). “By undergoing an independent IRMA audit, we aim to align our operations with best practices and, with affected stakeholders and rights holders, identify areas for ongoing improvement. We are committed to aligning with international standards for responsible mining for the long term.”

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is (1) a voluntary mining standard describing best practices to protect people and the environment, (2) an assurance process to measure mines against that standard, and (3) an organization equally governed by representatives of six affected stakeholder sectors – communities, organized labor, NGOs, finance, purchasers and mining companies — that controls the standard and the assurance process. IRMA is globally unique in that its governance provides communities equal power to mining companies, and the non-commercial interests have the same power as commercial interests.

Harita Nickel holds mining licenses, under which mining operations commenced in 2010. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, the Company has been operating high-grade nickel ore (saprolite) smelters since 2017, low-grade nickel ore (limonite) processing refinery facilities since 2021, and a nickel and cobalt sulfate refinery since 2023. All these facilities are located in Harita Nickel’s 2 active mining concession areas, on former mining pits. Harita Nickel produces key raw materials for electric vehicle batteries – by processing and refining low-grade nickel ore (limonite) using High-Pressure Acid Leach to produce Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), which is then further processed into nickel sulfate (NiSO4) and cobalt sulfate (CoSO4).

SCS Global Services, an IRMA-approved independent audit firm, will be carrying out the assessment, which includes a desktop review (stage 1) followed by an onsite audit (stage 2). Using the contact information below, members of the affected community, public officials, representatives of the workforce, or other interested parties are invited to submit comments starting now regarding how the mine site is managing their impacts to the environment including air, water, waste, greenhouse gasses, and ecosystems; how the mine supports their workforce; and how the mine interacts with the surrounding community, and how it impacts the community. Interested parties may also ask to be interviewed by auditors once they are on the mine site.

For More Information

  • To follow the progress of the IRMA assessment, visit the IRMA website for Harita Nickel independent assessment status page
  • If you would like more information on how the audits are conducted against the IRMA standard — contact IRMA’s Director of Assurance: Michelle Smith, msmith@responsiblemining.net
  • Interested parties may contact the independent audit firm SCS Global Services, to share comments or to ask to be interviewed as part of the audit process.  At least 30 days prior to the onsite audit, SCS will make its own announcement and invitation directly to local communities and workers. The audit firm can be reached by email at: feedback@scsglobalservices.com
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Oxidated copperOxidated copperBlog

ClimateWorks: Center Communities to Build Responsible Supply Chains

Below is an excerpt of a ClimateWorks blog by Lina Fedirko. Read the full version on their site.

The energy transition presents a unique opportunity to reshape mineral supply dynamics so that mining contributes to resilient, prosperous, and healthy communities. However, Indigenous Peoples and communities around the world have suffered from the consequences of irresponsible mining, such as deepening inequality, rising conflicts, and environmental degradation. A responsible mineral supply chain is necessary to help rebuild broken trust and ensure the energy transition does not replicate unjust and exploitative mining practices.

At ClimateWorks, we are actively seeking the insights and aspirations of our local partners around the globe to shape our collective effort to build a responsible mineral supply. Recently, I spoke with two regional leaders — Davidzo Muchawaya based in South Africa, and Pochoy P. Labog based in Indonesia — to gain their unique perspectives on the legacy of mining and their hopes for the clean energy transition.

Davidzo is the Africa Regional Lead for the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), an organization that sets a globally recognized, rigorous, and best practice standard for the mining industry. Pochoy is the Southeast Asia Researcher and Representative with the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), which monitors the human rights impacts of more than 10,000 companies worldwide.

What is your organization’s role within the broader ecosystem of organizations working on minerals in your regions? How do you collaborate?

Davidzo Muchawaya: IRMA is three things. It is a voluntary best practice mining standards and a process for independently measuring mines’ performance against that standard. It is also an organization overseeing the standard and measurement processes with representatives of affected stakeholder groups equally governing us: mining, purchasers, finance, organized labor, advocacy NGOs, impacted communities, and Indigenous rights holders. IRMA’s contribution to broader collaboration stems from our focus on capacity building among our stakeholders to help them better understand how to use our tools. We engage stakeholders, including the BHRRC, through regular outreach about engagement on mining issues and upcoming audits.

As a regional lead in Africa, I engage with civic organizations, impacted communities, organized labor, and other groups and regularly solicit feedback on our audit system and tools. IRMA’s vision is a world where the mining industry respects human rights, provides safe and healthy working conditions, minimizes environmental harm, and leaves positive legacies.

Read the full interview with Davidzo and Pochoy on the ClimateWorks website.

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