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Chairman of Huayou Global meets PT Vale CEO at site of Pomalaa block project
For the first time in the regency’s history, CEO of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Company Limited (Huayou) Chen Xuehua (Chairman Chen) arrived on a private jet in Kolaka, Central Sulawesi.
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Chairman of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Company Limited (Huayou) Chen Xuehua (far left) and CEO of PT Vale Indonesia Febriany Eddy (far right) on a runway in Kolaka, Central Sulawesi after travel on a private jet.
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or the first time in the regency’s history, CEO of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Company Limited (Huayou) Chen Xuehua (Chairman Chen) arrived on a private jet in Kolaka, Central Sulawesi. Chairman Chen joined the CEO of PT Vale Indonesia Febriany Eddy, to visit the Pomalaa Block smelter project site. They also met with Kolaka regent Ahmad Safei before continuing their tour.
For two days from June 8-9, Chairman Chen and Febriany visited project sites including a port, the mining areas, and a planned High-Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL) site. During this visit, Vale Indonesia and Huayou reaffirmed their commitment and solidarity in realizing the project, with Vale CEO Febriany emphasizing that the project in Pomalaa is not “planned” but “underway”
“After a visit to the Pomalaa block, Huayou is optimistic that investing in Pomalaa is the right decision and that this project will work well for Huayou. For the later part [of the project], Huayou will need to work together with Vale in the social and communication aspects and a firmer implementation of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG),” said Huayou VP Gao Baojun.
The agreement between Vale Indonesia and the China-based company was made official through a framework cooperation agreement (FCA) signed on April 27, 2022. According to the agreement, Huayou will build the HPAL plant with its advanced technology and system while Vale Indonesia will be mining nickel in the form of limonite ore and low-grade saprolite ore. The HPAL at Pomalaa is projected to have a production capacity of up to 120,000 metric tons of nickel per year.
The project at Pomalaa block is one of the two Sulawesi smelter projects under Vale Indonesia. Currently, Vale Indonesia operates an integrated mine and nickel refinery in Sorowako, South Sulawesi. It has been operating for 53 years and generates the lowest carbon emissions per ton of nickel in Indonesia.
Vale Indonesia has made a commitment to avoid using coal to power its new smelters. While there are plans to replace the fossil fuel in Sorowako with hydro power, Vale Indonesia is still working with Huayou to look for environmentally-friendly alternative energy sources to minimize the carbon footprint in the region.
“We appreciate that our partner is in line with our low carbon agenda, to not use a coal-fired power plant. This FCA is evidence of the alignment of our sustainability commitments, which is extremely important for PT Vale,” Febriany said during the signing ceremony.
“We are seeing a good relationship between Vale and the surrounding community, which is a relief for Huayou,” said Chairman Chen.
Kolaka regent Ahmad Safei also assured that the Kolaka Regency government will assist Vale Indonesia within the scope of its authority. “We hope that PT Vale would soon finish the project. The factory, once it’s established, will empower the local community by reducing unemployment and poverty,” he said.
