Media Release
19 October 2023
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams PSM visited Balikpapan and Bontang, East Kalimantan province on 16 October.
During the visit, Ambassador Williams met with the Mayor of Balikpapan, Pak Basri Rase, and visited Australian companies in both cities.
“Australian companies have had a long-standing presence in East Kalimantan,” Ambassador Williams said. “It was good to see first-hand how leading Australian companies such as Thiess and Orica are working with local partners to deliver world class mining services and technologies in support of Indonesia’s booming mining sector.”
While in Balikpapan, Ambassador Williams visited GroundProbe’s Global Monitoring Centre, where a specialist Indonesian geotechnical workforce monitor sites around the world to provide early warning of potential wall failures at mine sites and other critical locations. She also met students completing their Apprenticeship through the Thiess Training Academy, which has produced over 1,500 graduates since its opening in 1992.
In Bontang, Ambassador Williams toured the PT Kaltim Nitrate Indonesia (KNI) Ammonium Nitrate (AN) manufacturing facility.
The KNI facility is a joint venture between Armindo and Orica. It produces over 300,000 tonnes of AN per annum to support Indonesian and international mining activities.
“The Australian and Indonesian Governments are committed to strategic economic engagement. I am proud to see the contribution that Australian companies like GroundProbe, Orica and Thiess are making in Indonesia,” said Ambassador Williams.
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