Danantara Establishes PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional.A New Solution, a New Problem.
The Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (Danantara) has established PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional (Perminas). This new state-owned enterprise (SOE) operates in the mining sector.
Danantara Chief Executive Officer Rosan Roeslani said that Perminas would be different from Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND ID). According to him, MIND ID functions as a holding company overseeing PT Bukit Asam Tbk, PT Inalum, PT Aneka Tambang Tbk, PT Timah Tbk, and PT Freeport Indonesia.
Each of the five state-owned companies operates in different industrial segments. “Perminas is more specifically directed toward rare earth minerals,” Rosan said at Wisma Danantara on Friday, 30 January 2026.
Nevertheless, attention has been drawn to reports that Perminas will assume management of troubled mining operations.
The basis for such takeovers is a recommendation from the Task Force for the Enforcement of Forest Areas (Satgas PKH), which called for revoking business permits of companies found to have violated regulations, particularly after flash floods struck three provinces in Sumatra. In total, 28 companies were recommended for permit revocation, with the Martabe gold mine among the most widely discussed.
The gold mine, located in North Sumatra, is currently operated by PT Agincourt Resources. Agincourt is among the 28 companies whose permits were recommended for revocation by the task force.
When questioned by reporters, Rosan did not provide details regarding plans to change the mine’s management. “We are still waiting, but basically we are always ready,” Rosan said.
Separately, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that the Martabe gold mine is among the assets to be managed by Perminas. “One of them,” Prasetyo said at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs on Thursday, 29 January 2026.
Prasetyo said the government aims to give special attention to mineral resource management. “From the perspective of interests and needs, we see that we require one SOE specifically dedicated to managing our mineral resources,” he said.
Prior to the plan to establish a new SOE, the government announced the revocation of business permits for 28 companies linked to the Sumatra disaster. Speaking to Tempo, Satgas PKH spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak said the revocation proposals were made following investigations and inquiries.
He explained that violations identified in the field included forest destruction, breaches of the Forestry Law, and illegal changes in forest land use.
However, since Satgas PKH lacks the authority to revoke permits, the process will be carried out by the sectoral ministries that originally issued the licenses. After permit revocation, the next phase involves governance arrangements.
“Because this concerns investment, asset production, and human resources, the resolution phase will be coordinated by the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming together with Danantara,” Barita said when contacted on Sunday, 1 February 2026.
Regarding operations at the Martabe gold mine, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung said evaluation materials are currently being prepared. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) will assess the company’s compliance with environmental regulations, including outstanding obligations that have not been fulfilled by PT Agincourt Resources as the operator.
“So that when a decision is eventually made regarding the continuation of the Martabe project, whoever continues it can operate in accordance with regulations and still protect the environment,” Yuliot said on Friday, 30 January 2026.
Responding to the plan to change the management of the Martabe mine, Agincourt Resources Senior Manager and Head of Corporate Communications, Katarina Siburian, stated that the company respects the government’s authority in setting strategic national policies and will act cooperatively in following all legal procedures.
However, Katarina emphasized that the company’s current focus is on ensuring the sustainability of the national vital object it manages and its contribution to the state and society. “The contract of work is the legal foundation governing all of the company’s rights and obligations,” she said in a text message on Sunday, 1 February 2026.
Contacted separately, Chairman of the Indonesian Mining Professionals Association (Perhapi) Sudirman Widhy Hartono assessed the plan for an SOE takeover of the Martabe mine as premature, especially given that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has not officially terminated Agincourt’s contract of work.
The Ministry of Environment is also pursuing a civil lawsuit against the company at the South Jakarta District Court. “It would be better to respect the ongoing legal process until a court ruling is issued before taking further steps such as terminating the mining contract of work or taking over mine operations,” Sudirman said.
Sudirman also questioned the rationale behind Perminas taking over the Martabe gold mine, particularly since the SOE—established only in November 2025—was initially tasked with managing rare earth minerals.
To his knowledge, Perminas was expected to serve as a partner to the Mineral Industry Agency established by President Prabowo Subianto in August 2025. However, during its development, the new SOE has also been assigned to manage other minerals, including iron ore, bauxite, copper, nickel, manganese, gold, and silver.
“It is certainly worth examining why the government and Danantara must assign Perminas to manage these minerals, considering that there are already several mining SOEs under the coordination of MIND ID,” Sudirman said.
Director of Mining Policy at the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Wishnu Try Utomo, argued that the takeover of mines by Perminas would merely cover up problems by creating new ones.
This is especially the case since the mines to be taken over are those whose permits have been revoked due to alleged violations. “It is as if managing them through an SOE automatically means better governance, freedom from corruption, no deforestation, and no environmental damage,” he said.
Rather than replacing operators, Wishnu recommended that the government strengthen legal certainty by taking firm action against companies that commit violations. “Fix the problems first, then think about acquisition,” he said.
Aryanto Nugroho, National Coordinator of Publish What You Pay (PWYP), a civil society organization monitoring transparency, said mining issues are not merely about who controls assets but about ensuring that governance is conducted in accordance with proper standards.
Therefore, he said, mine takeovers must not be carried out hastily, but must go through a transparent due diligence process. The goal is to ensure that Perminas does not inherit unresolved problems or environmental damage from previous operators. “Without a comprehensive audit, this transfer risks shifting private sector losses onto the state,” Aryanto said.
Meanwhile, Prasetyo said the decision to transfer company management to an SOE under Danantara was based on broader economic considerations, particularly business continuity and job creation. He noted that several ongoing economic activities remain necessary in the national interest.
“But we also have to think that these economic activities are indeed necessary for the interests of the nation and the state, especially for opening up or creating jobs. Why shouldn’t we continue them?” he said.
Nandito Putra and Sultan Abdurrahman contributed to the reporting of this article.
Source: Tempo