(Adds new details and contexts in paragraph 2-7) JAKARTA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Indonesia may allow copper miner Amman Mineral International to export copper concentrate, the country's energy ministry official said on Friday, after banning concentrate exports last year. Indonesia banned exports of copper concentrate and other raw minerals from mid-2023 to boost the domestic metal processing industry, but Amman was permitted to continue exporting until December last year, when it was expected to commission a new smelter. The government may now allow the copper miner to resume concentrate exports after a fire broke out at its smelter in Indonesia's West Nusa Tengggara this year, said energy ministry official Tri Winarno. Energy ministry regulations allow exemptions to the export ban under force majeure conditions, he said, adding that Amman has submitted the required police report and insurance claim as proof of force majeure. "We are in the middle of the process of giving it (the export permit)," Winarno said. Earlier this year, Amman said it has 220,000 metric tons of copper cathode available for export. It asked the government to allow copper concentrate exports because its smelter faced a number of technical constraints. Amman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Bernadette Christina, Ananda Teresia; Editing by David Stanway) (The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
