Bauxite has been mined in Indonesia since theDutch colonial era.
Bauxite was first discovered in modern Indonesia in theRiau Islands in 1924, under theDutch East Indies administration. Production commenced in the 1930s, with the volume of ore mined between 1936 and 1960 being between 100 and 400 thousand tonnes, rising to 900,000 tonnes by 1967 and averaging over 1 million tonnes in the 1970s. During this time, most production was centered in the island ofBintan, with some mining operations in the smaller surrounding islands. Most ores in this period were exported to Japan, with smaller quantities being sold to Europe and North America. There were also noalumina plants in Indonesia, though there were proposals to construct one in Bintan and another in the then newly discovered bauxite deposits inWest Kalimantan. Additionally, an aluminium smelter was proposed, which was to utilizehydroelectric power from theAsahan River.[1][2]
In 2014, the Indonesian government banned the export of raw bauxite among other ores, intended to stimulate the development of aluminium smelters in the country. However, the ban failed to meet its objectives, with bauxite importers purchasing more ore from neighboringMalaysia.[3]
Indonesia produced an estimated 5.69 million metric tons of bauxite in 2018, compared to 1.29 million metric tons in 2017.[4]
As of March 2024, there are four active bauxite smelters across the country.[5]
Most of Indonesia's known reserves of bauxite are located in theRiau Islands (namely Bintan), theBangka Belitung Islands, andWest Kalimantan.[6] The reserves are in form oflaterite ores,[7]: 163 and theUnited States Geological Survey gave a figure of 1.2 billion tonnes of bauxite in Indonesia's reserves.[4]
