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Indonesia Revokes Four Nickel Mining Permits in Raja Ampat

Greenpeace’s viral footage of nickel extraction damage prompted the government to pull licenses, leaving the sole remaining operator under close watch.

Deforestation caused by nickel mining of PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining in Kawei, a small island in the Raja Ampat archipelago, West Papua, Indonesia. Image taken in December 2024 by Auriga Nusantara.
Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaks to the media during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, left, speaks to the media as photos from Raja Ampat Islands, including some AI-generated images that have been circulating on social media, are displayed on a screen in the background, during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Nickel mining activities on Kawei Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Image courtesy of Greenpeace.

Overview

  • The government revoked permits for PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Nurham, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining and PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa following confirmed breaches of mining regulations.
  • President Prabowo Subianto ordered the revocations, which state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi and energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced to reporters.
  • PT Gag Nikel will continue operating on Gag Island under strict monitoring after receiving its permit in 2017.
  • Greenpeace Indonesia’s videos documenting nickel extraction on Gag, Kawe and Manuran islands garnered over 15 million Instagram views and showed more than 500 hectares of forest and reef loss.
  • Activists warned that authorities must enforce the decision to prevent companies from appealing or having their permits reissued.