Indonesia's miners currently operate under annual production quotas outlined in a document known as the RKAB, which remains valid for three years. Since implementing a ban on raw nickel exports in 2020, Indonesia has become one of the world's largest producers of nickel products, driven by a significant expansion of its domestic processing industry.

Recently, however, nickel smelters have complained of an ore shortage, prompting some to source supplies from the Philippines. According to the statistics bureau, Indonesia's nickel ore imports surged to 9.3 million metric tons in the first 10 months of 2024, over 50 times higher than the imports during the same period last year.

Tri Winarno, a senior official at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, emphasized that ensuring the "longevity and sustainability" of Indonesia's ore reserves is a top government priority. He stated that the government would assess miners' adherence to all regulations, including environmental requirements. However, during the conference, he did not provide details on how the planned review might affect production quotas.