The government continues to encourage the program to increase added value through mineral downstreaming so that it can provide maximum benefits to Indonesia's economic growth, and has a strong competitive spirit in the development of the national industry. This was conveyed by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif in a webinar entitled "Mineral Industrialization Towards a Golden Indonesia" which was held virtually by the Directorate General of Mineral and Coal of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Thursday (15/9). In addition to optimizing collaboration with stakeholders to increase industrialization, webinars are also held to celebrate the 77th Mining and Energy Anniversary. Arifin further revealed that downstreaming must be developed optimally to the basic ingredients of industrial products. "Mineral downstreaming is not enough to only be processed semi-finished. However, it must be maximally developed into products that are the basic ingredients in the complementary or final stages of industrial trees," said Arifin. Arifin emphasized that the smelter construction must get attention and support from the government and other stakeholders so that it can run well. Thus, sustainable synergy and collaboration are needed so that mineral downstreaming can run optimally. "The downstream obligation attached to the mining industry is to provide added value in order to provide optimal results for the state and society and to build mineral processing or refining facilities," he added. Indonesia has a comparative advantage in natural resources, especially mineral reserves such as nickel and cobalt which can be utilized for the development of batteries for electric vehicles that are environmentally friendly. These advantages can be processed into the final product to support the transition to fossil-based energy development by making clean energy for the future. Furthermore, Arifin advised that in an effort to downstream domestically, it is necessary to utilize mineral and coal resources by prioritizing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). "This can be achieved through the principle of good mining practices, which will not only have an impact on state and community revenues, but also maintain environmental sustainability," he concluded.

Source: https://www.liputan6.com/bisnis/read/5072759/maksimalkan-pertumbuhan-ekonomi-nasional-menteri-esdm-dorong-optimalisasi-hilirisasi-mineral