Southeast Sulawesi gave appreciation to Ceria Group investment

The Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Government gave its appreciation to PT Ceria Nugraha Indotama (Ceria Group)'s investment to the province during a working visit by the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) to the Ceria 'Merah Putih' Smelter project site in Wolo District, Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi on Jan. 23, 2025.

Ceria Group, which operates a joint National Strategic Project (PSN) and National Vital Object (Obvitnas), plays an important role in supporting the mineral downstreaming program as initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

The visit led by the Southeast Sulawesi Province Regional Secretary Asrun Lio visited various strategic facilities owned by Ceria Group. They include, among others, the business process showcase, the Merah Putih Smelter rectangular rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) facility, the high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) technology development area, the mining and port areas, the power supply and supporting facilities, as well as the barge-mounted power plant (BMPP) area.

Asrun Lio also gave his appreciation for Ceria Group's implementation of good mining practices (GMP) and strong commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in developing downstream investment in Indonesia. He was also impressed with the construction of the Ceria Merah Putih Smelter project, which aims to start operating by April 2025, and hopes that the project will become a symbol of energy independence and the sustainability for the national mining industry.

"The Ceria ‘Merah Putih’ Smelter Project is not only in line with the government's mineral downstream program, it also brings great benefits to the local community. This can be seen from the provision of extensive employment opportunities and improvements in regional infrastructure. The construction progress is very encouraging and is going according to plan. In fact, the supporting facilities are now almost completely finished," he said.

Acting Kolaka Regent Muhammad Fadlansyah also provided his thanks for Ceria Group's contribution to sustainable development in Kolaka Regency.

"Ceria has a very meaningful presence in Kolaka. In addition to employing local workers, Ceria also consistently runs its community development and empowerment (CDE) program, which has a direct impact on improving the quality of life of the local community," he said.

Meanwhile, Ceria Group Operational Director Yusram Rantesalu emphasized the company's commitment to ensuring the completion of the strategic "Merah Putih" Smelter project, which is expected to have 72 million volt-ampere (MVA) of apparent power and produce ferronickel with 22 percent nickel content.

"We are fully committed to completing this project on time according to the project commercial operation date (PCOD) target, namely by April 2025. This is part of our contribution to national development, especially in Wolo District, Kolaka Regency, Southeast Sulawesi," he explained.

Yusram revealed that Ceria has also received appreciation from the Finance Ministry. In the last five years, Ceria's total tax contribution has increased by 147 percent from around Rp150 billion in 2020 to more than Rp300 billion in 2024.

Ceria Group Corporate Affairs Director Djen Rizal explained that Ceria Group's employment of local workers has so far reached more than 65 percent of the total workforce recruited, which he said proves the company's commitment to prioritizing employment of workers local to the mining area and thus providing a real impact on local economic improvement.

"We also have a flagship program, namely the operational smelter development program (OSDP) which is specifically designed to develop local workers so that they are able to fill strategic positions in smelter operations," he added.