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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Energy & Infrastructure

Harita Nickel Pursues World-Class Mining Standards. Here’s Why

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Indonesian nickel producer Harita Nickel is awaiting the results of a voluntary audit by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, which applies stringent social and environmental mining standards.
  • The company says it opened itself to the audit as part of a commitment to continuous improvement and to find best-practice guidance on environmental, social and governance issues.
  • Harita’s growing production has brought higher sales and profits, but also more hazardous waste and challenges linked to nearby communities and coastal ecosystems.

Harita Nickel is waiting for the outcome of a voluntary audit that could make it the first mining company in Indonesia to receive certification from the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, or IRMA.

IRMA is known for applying some of the world’s strictest standards for socially and environmentally responsible mining. No Indonesian mining company currently holds its certificate. Passing the assessment would give Harita an opportunity to become an early national example of mining governance aligned with demanding sustainability standards.

Joseph Sinaga, Harita Nickel’s assistant vice president for site corporate communications, said the company agreed to the audit because it is committed to continuous improvement. “We want to achieve continuous improvement,” Joseph said at a media editors’ meeting in the Obi Industrial Estate in North Maluku on September 1, 2026.

Harita’s profile has risen alongside Indonesia’s expanding nickel and processing industries. The company sold 30.6 million tons of nickel ore last year, up 28.8% from 2024. With its smelters operating, it also sold 188,000 tons of ferronickel in 2025, a 49.3% year-on-year increase. Ferronickel is an important raw material for stainless-steel production. Harita recorded 90,000 tons of mixed hydroxide precipitate, up 43%, and 39,000 tons of nickel sulfate, up 3.2%, as demand grew from the battery and electric-vehicle industries.

The company reported 2025 revenue of 29.63 trillion rupiah and net profit of 10.97 trillion rupiah, a 42% year-on-year increase. But the stronger performance also carried environmental and social costs. Hazardous waste from operations reached 40 million tons, up 57% from the previous year, largely because wet tailings increased as Harita’s high-pressure acid leach smelter reached full operation.

Harita also faces broader environmental, social and governance challenges because its operating area borders residential communities, especially Kawasi village on Obi Island, as well as coastal and marine environments. Joseph said those issues led the company to seek a benchmark for best practice, prompting its decision to undergo the IRMA audit.

We want to achieve continuous improvement.

· Joseph SinagaHarita Nickel’s communications executive explained the company’s stated reason for opening itself to the IRMA audit.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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