Indonesia Energy Ministry: Mining Activities in Indonesia Synergize with Environmental Protection

The government emphasizes that the implementation of mining in Indonesia is in line with environmental protection. This can be shown by the existence of reclamation regulations as a condition for operating permits.

The Director of Coal Business Development at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Sujatmiko, revealed that the rules for repairing or rearranging the function of ex-mining land had existed since mining was carried out by PT Freeport Indonesia.

“Our mine, in fact, since the beginning of its construction in 1967 has been very concerned about reclamation or environmental management,” said Sujatmiko at the Webinar ‘IPB Alumni Contributions in Mining: From Reclamation to Environmental and Social Management in Jakarta, Saturday (10/7).

Furthermore, this mining environmental regulatory norm has evolved to regulate administrative and criminal sanctions through Government Regulation No. 10 No.78 of 2010 concerning Reclamation and Post-mining and its legal derivative products in Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation No. 7 of 2014 concerning Implementation of Reclamation and Post-mining in Mining Business Activities. . The latest rules are emphasized in Law No. 3 of 2020 concerning Amendments to Law No. 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining.

“In the past, mining business actors did not comply, there were no criminal sanctions. Since 2020, those who do not reclaim, in addition to fines and revocation of permits, can also be subject to criminal sanctions,” explained Sujatmiko.

According to Sujatmiko, the basic principle of reclamation is always integrated at all stages of mining from exploration to post-mining. “Reclamation cannot be separated from mining planning. Every mine does not have a reclamation plan integrated by the government, the Directorate General of Minerba will not issue a permit to operate,” he said.

In Sujatmiko’s presentation, the implementation of reclamation must be carried out according to the commitments in environmental documents whose preparation involves stakeholders.

Later, reclamation will be carried out on disturbed areas including ex-exploration land, ex-mining land, ex-stockpiled land, and land used for supporting facilities. This includes mining water management activities (surface runoff and waste), especially erosion and sedimentation control.

Sujatmiko did not deny that during mining production operations there were disturbed lands. However, along with reclamation will unravel these problems. “Vegetation cover after post-mining is better than before mining,” he added.

Of the 10.83 million hectares of mining areas in Indonesia that have obtained business permits, the government only has 248.6 thousand hectares opened for mining activities. “The land cleared for mining operations is only 2.2% of the total area that has received permits and a third of it has been reclaimed,” explained Sujatmiko.

Some examples of the success of reclamation are the use of ex-mining areas (voids) at PT Timah which are used as agro-edutourism tourism through the anchorage water reclamation village. There is also a revegetation designation carried out by PT Newmont Minahasa to become a botanical garden. “Even the Ministry of Forestry and Environment (KLHK) certifies it as a forest that is much better than before it was mined,” concluded Sujatmiko.