Raja Ampat nickel licences revoked
- Communities and civil society Greenpeace: Reported destruction of more than 500 hectares. Fortune Asia
- Government and regulators Bahlil Lahadalia, Energy Minister: Said the corals were not harmed. Fortune Asia
In June 2025 Indonesia revoked four of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat islands. The state-linked company Gag Nikel kept operating.
Fortune (AFP), 10 June 2025. The fifth, held by the state company Antam's Gag Nikel, continued.
Status As of June 2025 (the latest dated source): four permits revoked, Gag Nikel operating; no appeal or reissue of permits found in the sources reviewed.
- Antam (Gag Nikel) — Kept its operation running Fortune Asia
- Holders of the four revoked permits — Lost their permits; names not given in the sources reviewed Fortune Asia
- Raja Ampat islands — More than 500 hectares destroyed, according to Greenpeace; the energy minister said corals were not harmed Fortune Asia
What happened
On or before 10 June 2025 the Indonesian government revoked four of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat islands, according to Fortune (AFP). The fifth, held by Gag Nikel, a company of the state-owned Antam, remained in operation.
Greenpeace reported destruction of more than 500 hectares. Greenpeace videos about Raja Ampat had been viewed 15 million times. Indonesia's Energy Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, said the corals in Raja Ampat had not been harmed.
The sources reviewed do not name the four permit holders or give the legal grounds of the revocation.
- 202510 June: Fortune (AFP) reports four of five nickel permits revoked; Antam's Gag Nikel continues; Greenpeace reports more than 500 hectares destroyed
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Said the corals were not harmed.
Fortune AsiaThe state company Antam's Gag Nikel continued operating.
Fortune AsiaNo statement appears in the sources reviewed.
How it looked
Shown
- Greenpeace videos about nickel mining in Raja Ampat had been viewed 15 million times before the permits were revokedFortune Asia, 10 June 2025 · Fortune Asia
Recorded
- Four of five nickel mining permits revoked
- The state company Antam's Gag Nikel kept operating
- Greenpeace reported destruction of more than 500 hectares
- Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the corals were not harmed
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- Bahlil Lahadalia, Indonesia's Energy Minister (2025-06): Said the corals in Raja Ampat were not harmed. · Fortune Asia
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2025–2025-06Claimant wonRevocation of four nickel mining permits in Raja AmpatGovernment of Indonesia · Administrative · Government of Indonesia → Holders of four nickel mining permits (not named in the sources reviewed)
Four of five nickel permits in Raja Ampat were revoked; the fifth, Gag Nikel, continued. The grounds and any appeal are not given in the sources reviewed. Fortune Asia
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
- Disputed Was the environment in Raja Ampat damaged?
Figures
- Insufficient Area (ha): Greenpeace's figure for destruction; the energy minister said corals were not harmed.
Accounts
- Disputed Why did one mine continue after four permits were revoked?
- None on record Antam / Gag Nikel: No statement appears in the sources reviewed.
Record
- None on record The names of the four permit holders and the legal grounds for revoking their permits are not given in the sources reviewed.
- Not measured The 500-hectare figure is Greenpeace's; the energy minister said corals were not harmed, and the sources reviewed give no independent measurement.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Gag Nikel was said to continue because its operation lies outside the geopark boundary.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a law banning mining on small islands and public pressure were cited as the reasons the revocation worked, and it was said the permits could be reissued.
Did the harm stop?
Four of five permits were revoked; the fifth operation continued.
Who paid?
The sources reviewed do not state who bore the cost of the revocation. Greenpeace reports the damage fell on more than 500 hectares in the islands.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Indonesia revokes nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat (AFP)Fortune Asia · 2025-06-10
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