Indonesia's Forest Law Enforcement Task Force (PKH) will impose fines totaling 38.9 trillion IDR on 71 palm oil plantations and mining companies found to have violated forest area use regulations as of December 8, 2025. Among the 22 sanctioned mining firms is PT Weda Bay Nickel.
PT Weda Bay Nickel is a joint venture between China's Tsingshan Group and France's Eramet. The operation is managed by Tsingshan, which holds a 51.2% stake, while Eramet owns 37.8% and Indonesian state-owned enterprise PT Aneka Tambang (Persero) Tbk. (ANTM) holds 10%.
Under Ministerial Regulation No. 391.K/MB.01/MEM.B/2025 issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which sets administrative fines for mining activities in forest areas, the penalty for nickel mining violations is set at 6.5 billion IDR per hectare (approximately Yuan 2.8 million). This would result in a fine of around 0.96 trillion IDR (about Yuan 400 million) for the company.
A representative of Eramet confirmed the news on Thursday (December 11, 2025), stating that they would respect the government's decision and fully support PT Weda Bay Nickel in cooperating with the authorities to ensure that all operational activities comply with legal standards.
Previously, on September 12, PKH took over control of more than 148 hectares (365 acres) of mining land operated by PT Weda Bay Nickel. The Indonesian government will manage the area and impose corresponding fines on the company. The mine, located on Halmahera Island in Maluku Utara, produces less than 100,000 wet metric tonnes of low-grade nickel ore per month.
Written by Cora Ji, jiruyan@mysteel.com
