OUR STORY
Since commencing operations in 2012, Martabe Gold Mine earned a reputation as an industry leader in term of safety, sustainability, and production processes. We put people at the heart of the business, and use innovative practices and the latest technologies to discover new resources and to mine, process, move, and market our products to our customers safely and sustainably. We work collaboratively with our stakeholders to contribute to sustainable development in in North Sumatra ,and enable our people and our communities to grow as we grow. We believe that only together we can build a sustainable future.
The total concession area containing the Martabe Gold Mine falls under a sixth-generation 30- year Contract of Work between PT Agincourt Resources (the company) and the Government of Indonesia. The initial area set in 1997 was 6,560 km2 but with some renunciations now sits at 1,303 km2 (130,252 hectares). However, following several renunciations, is now 130,252 hectares (1,303 km2) in size, located in South Tapanuli, Central Tapanuli, North Tapanuli and Mandailing Natal Regencies. The operational area of the Martabe Gold Mine itself within the concession is located in South Tapanuli Regency and covers an area of 509 hectares as of January 2022.
TIMELINE OF OWNERSHIP
1997
Founded by Normandy
( JV and Anglo )
2003
Majority owned by
Newmont East Asia
2009
Acquired by G-Resources, Ltd
2016
Acquired by a consortium led by EMR Capital
2018
Acquired by PT Danusa Tambang Nusantara, a subsidiary of
PT Pamapersada Nusantara and
PT United Tractors Tbk, member of Astra
OUR OPERATION
The Martabe Gold Mine is located on the Sumatran fault line, which supported the formation of mineral flow deposits, making it rich in minerals including gold and silver. Currently, we operate three open-cut pits – Pit Ramba Joring which opened in 2017, Pit Barani which opened in 2016, and Pit Purnama which opened in 2011– and run a conventional carbon-in-leach (CIL) gold ore processing plant, supported by infrastructure including haulage roads, a tailings storage facility, raw water storage tanks, sediment control dams, water polishing plant, a switchyard, fuel depot, workshops and warehouses. We also operate an analytic laboratory, housing camp, administration building, sports field and clinic to support our mining community in North Sumatra.
There are 15 villages located near the Martabe Gold Mine that are described as Directly Affected Villages (DAV). Special consideration is given to ensure that, as far as possible for the life of the mine, these villages remain the same liveable villages they were before the mine entered production.
EXPLORATION
In 2021, we continued our investments in the Exploration Program, with the primary objective of identifying additional resources and reserves.
MINING
The pits of the Martabe Gold Mine provide the ore from which the gold is extracted. Prior survey, geo-technical analysis, and planning are essential in order to open a pit. During the mining, a variety of means are used to get the rock from the ground, transport the ore, manage the waste rock, and to do all of this safely.
Similar to most gold mining operations, Martabe Gold Mine disposes of tailings in a Tailings Storage Facility, an engineered embankment in a valley. A containment fitted upstream of the embankment stores the tailings while the embankment itself is made of a conventional rock-fill (the overburden) downstream construction and has several distinct internal zones, each serving a specific function.
Purnama Pit, the first to open, began in 2011, followed by Barani Pit in 2016, and Ramba Joring Pit in 2017.
PROCESSING
Our process plant is a conventional Carbon-In-Leach (CIL) plant with a capacity of more than 7 million tonnes of ore per year. The process plant is continuously operated except for scheduled maintenance shutdowns. The extraction of gold and silver from the ore is relatively straight forward. The essential steps are as follows:
Crushing of THE Ore
Grinding the ore and conversion of this into a wet slurry
Using cyanide safely to leach the gold and silver from the slurry
ELIMINATING GOLD AND CARBON GRANULES VIA AN ANELUTION PROCESS
adsorption of gold and silver in solution unto carbon granules
recovering gold and silver through electrowinning
smelting gold and silver to produce DORÉ bullion bars. The Martabe Gold Mine refines all of its bullion in certain location/city by third parties.