Indonesia revoked four Raja Ampat nickel permits but only suspended PT Gag Nikel, which resumed mining in Sept 2025; a ministry audit reportedly found 24 issues
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After a public outcry in June 2025, Indonesia's government revoked four nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat archipelago but only suspended PT Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state-owned Antam, even though the revocations cited the same sedimentation and deforestation concerns and a 2014 law bars mining on small islands. The government lifted the suspension and the company resumed mining on 3 September 2025, with energy-ministry officials saying it complied with environmental requirements. Antam said a later environment-ministry audit found no violations, but according to a Greenpeace report citing a 2 February 2026 ministry letter, the audit identified 24 issues, including inadequate sediment and erosion control, risk of mine-water overflow in extreme rain, no closed water-recycling system and failed biodiversity protection. On 3 August 2026 Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed Gag Nikel is still the only mine operating in Raja Ampat.
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