Swan.my.id - NTB mining projects at Elang and Hu’u are moving toward separate production targets, with the first scheduled for 2028 and the second for 2031. Both plans still depend on permits and other preparations, so the dates remain targets rather than guaranteed start times.
The projects involve PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (AMNT) at the Elang deposit in Sumbawa and PT Sumbawa Timur Mining (STM) at Hu’u in Dompu. Their scale gives them a prominent place in the province’s mining outlook, but their next steps differ: Elang faces a key forestry permit process, while STM continues licensing work and prepares supporting facilities.
NTB mining projects face different permit timelines
NTB Energy and Mineral Resources Agency head Samsudin said AMNT is processing permits for its Elang project. One outstanding requirement is an izin pinjam pakai kawasan hutan, or permit to use forest areas. The project lies in a forested area, making that approval central to the proposed development schedule.
AMNT’s production target is 2028. Samsudin said physical construction could begin that year if the permit process proceeds smoothly. That qualification matters: the company’s stated target does not remove the uncertainty surrounding approvals, and the available details do not establish that construction has already started.
Samsudin also described Elang’s potential as greater than Batu Hijau, AMNT’s operating copper and gold mine in West Sumbawa. However, he said detailed information about the comparison was not available to him. The scale of a deposit alone does not determine when a mine can enter production; permitting and project development remain important steps.
STM has set a later production target of 2031 for its Hu’u project in Dompu. According to Samsudin, the company is working through permits and preparing supporting facilities and infrastructure. He said the company had confirmed its target, while also making clear that progress depends on the process moving forward.
The gap between the two target dates reflects separate project schedules, not a shared construction plan. Elang’s 2028 target and STM’s 2031 target each depend on their own approvals and preparations. For communities and businesses following the projects, progress on those practical requirements will be as significant as the dates themselves.
Elang’s reported mineral reserves have grown
AMMAN’s latest Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) report, dated December 31, 2024, put Elang’s ore reserves at 2.5 billion metric tonnes. The report showed a 79% increase from the 1.4 billion tonnes recorded in 2023. JORC is an international reporting standard for mineral resources and reserves.
The updated figures also reported higher contained metal. Elang’s copper content rose 71%, from 10.4 billion pounds to 17.8 billion pounds, while its gold content increased 76%, from 15 million ounces to 26.4 million ounces. These figures describe reported reserves; they do not, by themselves, confirm a production start date.
AMMAN has continued exploration at the deposit, which lies about 60 kilometres east of Batu Hijau. Since 2020, its exploration team has identified a second porphyry copper and gold deposit known as Elang Selatan. It sits near the main Elang porphyry, but at greater depth and with slightly higher grades, according to the reported project information.
Further drilling, rising metal prices and engineering studies indicate that the proposed open-pit mine could be larger than the design used for a 2020 feasibility study. The earlier design dated to 2019. This change in the project picture helps explain why Elang’s reported reserves have expanded, although development still depends on resolving its permit requirements.
STM’s Onto deposit adds another large prospect
STM has explored in Hu’u since 2010. At its Onto prospect, the company reported around 2 billion tonnes of copper and gold mineral resources. The estimate draws on 74 drill holes with a combined depth of 74,130 metres.
The reported resource categories include 1.1 billion tonnes classified as indicated and about 1 billion tonnes classified as inferred. These are resource estimates, a different reporting category from the ore reserves reported for Elang. Keeping the terms separate helps readers compare the projects without treating their figures as identical measures.
STM holds a seventh-generation contract of work signed by the Indonesian government on February 19, 1998. Its long exploration history has established the scale of the Onto prospect, but the company still needs to advance permits and supporting preparations before reaching its 2031 production target.
Targets will depend on execution
Samsudin has placed the two projects among the major mineral prospects mapped in NTB. He also referred to a national potential value of Rp5,400 trillion for metal reserves, as cited by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. That national figure provides context, but it does not represent projected revenue from either Elang or Onto.
For now, the clearest milestones are practical ones. AMNT must progress its forest-area permit as it works toward the Elang schedule, while STM must continue licensing and prepare the facilities needed for Hu’u. As those processes move ahead, the companies’ production targets will become easier to assess.
Elang’s expanded reserve estimate and STM’s large Onto resource underline why both projects attract attention. Yet scale and timing are separate questions. Whether either target holds will depend on approvals, development work and each company’s ability to move from exploration toward production.
