Although divestment issues are still unresolved, Indonesia hopes to finalize contract talks with Freeport McMoRan Inc over the Grasberg copper mine by June.
The good luck for BHP is that only about 40 to 45 percent of existing nickel mine supply is suitable for processing into a battery-grade chemical product.
The Bougainville government has imposed an indefinite moratorium on mining at the controversial Panguna site — once the world's biggest open-pit copper mine.
The Egypt-focused gold miner also expects solid growth this year. It’s targeting 580,000 ounces in production, up from an estimate of 550,000-560,000 ounces.