Ecopro Brings Key Facility to Indonesian BNSI Smelter... "Completion Targeted for This Year"

'Autoclave' Delivered for Nickel Separation from Ore

Completion and Trial Production by Year-End; Full Operation Scheduled for Second Quarter Next Year

Securing Annual Supply Rights to 65,000 Tons of Nickel

Photo of the reactor delivered to the BNSI smelter in Indonesia, in which Ecopro Group is a major shareholder. Ecopro

The BNSI smelter in Indonesia, in which Ecopro Group participates as a major shareholder, is making steady progress toward its goal of completion within this year as it received delivery of the autoclave, a key facility for separating nickel from ore. On July 22, Ecopro announced that it held a ceremony to welcome the reactor at the BNSI smelter construction site in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The autoclave is a core facility in the High Pressure Acid Leaching (HPAL) process, operating under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions to leach valuable metals such as nickel and cobalt from nickel ore by reacting it with sulfuric acid. The leached valuable metals are then produced into Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP), a nickel intermediate, through subsequent neutralization and precipitation processes.

The reactor delivered to the BNSI smelter is the largest of its kind ever produced, with a diameter of 5.9 meters and a length of 48.4 meters. It was manufactured with the involvement of engineers from Morimatsu, Japan.

The BNSI smelter, which is set to produce 90,000 tons of nickel per year, will house three reactors, each capable of producing 30,000 tons. Currently, two reactors have been delivered, and the remaining one is scheduled to arrive in September.

Ecopro explained, "Once all three reactors are installed, the essential equipment needed to operate the smelter will be complete, so the smelter is expected to be completed and begin trial production as early as the end of this year, with full operation commencing in the second quarter of next year."

Guests, including Dongchae Lee, founder of EcoPro (fifth from the right), attending the Indonesia BNSI smelter reactor delivery ceremony, are posing for a commemorative photo. EcoPro

The BNSI smelter began construction last year, with a cumulative workforce of around 2,000 people engaged in the project. An Ecopro official stated, "Infrastructure works such as surrounding roads and port hinterlands are nearing completion, and key facility processes like the sulfuric acid plant and support buildings are progressing on schedule."

The Indonesian government designated the area around the BNSI smelter as a bonded zone to coincide with the reactor delivery ceremony. As a result, customs clearance and tax procedures for the import and export of a variety of goods, including equipment, raw materials, and supplies, have been streamlined, and operational efficiency of the smelter is expected to improve.

The BNSI smelter is being built in the International Green Industrial Park (IGIP) in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ecopro holds a 39% stake as the major shareholder, with Indonesia's state-owned mining company PTVI holding 30%, China's GEM 21%, and negotiations underway with strategic investors, including Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, for the remaining 10% stake.

The nickel produced at BNSI is classified as Non-PFE (non-prohibited foreign entity) feedstock that complies with regulations concerning Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOC).

Aerial view of the Indonesian IGIP Industrial Complex where Ecopro BNSI smelter is located. Ecopro

Starting with securing 29,000 tons per year through the phase one IMIP project in 2022, Ecopro will add an additional 36,000 tons per year through BNSI, amounting to a total nickel supply of 65,000 tons annually. The BNSI smelter itself has a production capacity of 90,000 tons per year, which is sufficient to supply batteries for around 2 million electric vehicles.

Dongchae Lee, founder of Ecopro, commented in his congratulatory speech, "The HPAL high-pressure autoclave delivered today is the core equipment of the BNSI project and a milestone for the future of Indonesia's battery industry. With this, the BNSI project has taken a major step beyond the planning phase into full-scale construction and completion."

Mr. Lee further stated, "BNSI is more than just an investment in a nickel smelter—it will become a model case of international cooperation where Korea and Indonesia combine their strengths. The nickel produced at BNSI will be a key material supporting the growth of the global electric vehicle and battery industries."

The reactor delivery ceremony was attended by Dongchae Lee (founder of Ecopro), Hojoon Song (CEO of Ecopro), Soongoo Yoon (Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Indonesia), as well as Indonesian officials including Rosan Perkasa Roeslani (Minister of Investment and CEO of Danantara), Maroef Sjamsoeddin (CEO of MIND ID), and Bernardus Irmanto (CEO of PT Vale Indonesia (PTVI)), and around 60 people in total, including Chinese executives such as Hu Kaihua (founder and chairman of GEM).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.