REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALU -- A Russian mining company, Blackpace World, is planning to build nickel smelters in Morowali district, Central Sulawesi province.

Two representatives of the company, Yosef Paskananda and Korium Toros, who are advisers to the Blackpace president, met with Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola here on Wednesday to discuss the planned investment.

At the meeting, the Russian company expressed its interest to build four nickel smelters at Ongkaya area, Central Sulawesi, in stages.

The company currently holds three mining permits to manage 1,744 hectares of land. It bought the permits from other companies, thus securing legal rights granted by the regional government.

"The three mining permits enable the company's main source to supply nickel ore to the smelters," assistant II of the Central Sulawesi provincial secretariat for economic affairs, Elim B Somba, said.

It seems the company would be serious about building the smelters although it still asks for support to receive bureaucratic services from the Central Sulawesi provincial government, he said.

Elim said the Central Sulawesi governor has positively responded to the company's plan to build the smelters and asked the company to realize the investment as per the procedure.

"The government is ready to help it in its environmental impact analysis," he said.

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