page_title: Bauxite mining in Indonesia
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Bauxite mining in Indonesia / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Distribution of Bauxite resources in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillippines according to the USGS in 1986
context_page_description: Bauxite has been mined in Indonesia since the Dutch colonial era.
context_section_description: Bauxite was first discovered in modern Indonesia in the Riau Islands in 1924, under the Dutch East Indies administration. Production commenced in the 1930s, with the volume of ore mined between 1936 and 1960 being between 100 and 400 thousand tonnes, rising to 900,000 tonnes by 1967 and averaging over 1 million tonnes in the 1970s. During this time, most production was centered in the island of Bintan, with some mining operations in the smaller surrounding islands. Most ores in this period were exported to Japan, with smaller quantities being sold to Europe and North America. There were also no alumina plants in Indonesia, though there were proposals to construct one in Bintan and another in the then newly discovered bauxite deposits in West Kalimantan. Additionally, an aluminium smelter was proposed, which was to utilize hydroelectric power from the Asahan River.
  In 2014, the Indonesian government banned the export of raw bauxite among other ores, intended to stimulate the development of aluminium smelters in the country. However, the ban failed to meet its objectives, with bauxite importers purchasing more ore from neighboring Malaysia.
caption: Bauxite deposits in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, 1986 USGS map
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