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Geological Agency proposes two rare earth mining areas
The energy ministry's Geological Agency has proposed that two potential rare earth reserves in West Sulawesi's Mamuju regency be designated as new mine operating permit areas (WIUPs) amid the government's push to develop the rare earth downstream industry.
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Heavy machinery haul coal on May 24, 2024 at a mine in Sumber Batu village in Meureubo district, West Aceh regency, Aceh. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
T
he Geological Agency of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has proposed designating two potential rare earth mining areas in the West Sulawesi villages of Takandeang and Botteng in Mamuju regency as new mine operating permit areas (WIUPs).
M. Awaluddin, who heads the agency’s mineral resources and reserves prospecting and evaluation working group, said he had submitted a formal proposal to energy minister Arifin Tasrif on Jan. 3.
“These are two blocks proposed by [the agency head] to the minister as rare earth [mining sites] in Mamuju,” Awaluddin told an online seminar on Thursday organized by the agency’s Coal and Geothermal Mineral Resources Center (PSDMBP), as quoted by Bisnis.com.
Read also: RI looks into use of rare earth elements in coal
The PSDMBP estimated that the Takandeang Block, which spans 3,740 hectares, had an abundance of rare earth elements (REE) reaching 6,012.32 parts per million (ppm) from soil samples and up to 3,346.52 ppm from bedrock samples.
Meanwhile, the center estimated that the Botteng Block spanning 3,715 ha had REE abundance of up to 4,803.99 ppm from soil samples and 2,163.43 ppm from bedrock samples.
Awaluddin said the agency discovered that Mamuju “has a quite large potential for further development” from investigations it conducted in 2022 and 2023 on rare earth mineral potentials in the regency.
