Perminas, New Energy Metals Sign MoU to Link Gabon Rare Earth with Indonesia Downstream
Key Takeaways
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — PT Perusahaan Mineral Nasional (Persero) or Perminas and New Energy Metals Holdings Ltd or NEM signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an integrated rare earth supply chain linking upstream resources in Gabon with downstream processing in Indonesia, aiming to strengthen global critical mineral supply and support industrial downstreaming, the companies said on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026 in Jakarta.
The agreement received backing from Danantara Indonesia, the country investment management agency, as part of efforts to reinforce vertical integration in strategic minerals.
The MoU was announced on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026, following its signing a day earlier.
The partnership covered evaluation of potential collaboration on niobium and rare earth elements at the Maboumine project in Gabon, Central Africa, and development of Indonesia downstream rare earth value chain.
"This collaboration is expected to strengthen upstream to downstream integration while building a resilient and globally competitive critical mineral supply chain," said Chief Executive Officer of Danantara Indonesia, Rosan Roeslani.
Rosan said Indonesia needed strong access to strategic inputs to drive the next phase of industrial growth.
"In the next phase, Indonesia industrial growth requires resilient access to strategic inputs as well as the capability to convert them into globally competitive downstream products. This cooperation framework aligns with that ambition," he said.
He added that the cooperation aligned with the government downstream agenda and efforts to strengthen national critical mineral supply chains, including advanced processing and manufacturing capacity.
Head of the Mineral Industry Agency, Brian Yuliarto, said the collaboration marked a new phase of Indonesia engagement in the global critical minerals industry.
"Our collaboration with NEM reflects the growing capacity of Indonesia industry as well as international partner confidence in Indonesia critical mineral potential," Brian said.
He said the partnership was expected to bolster Indonesia position in the global critical mineral market while accelerating domestic industrial development.
President Director of Perminas, Gilarsi Wahju Setijono, said the MoU created a structured pathway to connect upstream resource potential with downstream value creation.
"Perminas is committed to advancing Indonesia strategic objectives in the critical mineral sector and downstream industrialization. This MoU opens opportunities to assess upstream to downstream integration potential in a measurable manner and in accordance with strong governance principles," he said.
Permanent Magnet Supply Chain
Rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium were key materials for high performance permanent magnets, while heavy rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium enhanced magnet performance at high temperatures.
These materials were essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, power grid infrastructure, aerospace applications, and defense systems, with global demand rising amid energy transition and electrification.
Under the MoU, the parties agreed to form a joint working group to implement an accelerated and structured cooperation program.
The work agenda included information exchange, joint technical workshops, and commercial assessments covering separation and refining, metal or alloy production, and permanent magnet manufacturing.
The parties also planned fast track negotiations on potential financing and strategic investment, including possible equity and or debt participation by Perminas or Danantara in the Maboumine mining project in Gabon.
The process remained subject to due diligence, internal approvals, and applicable regulatory requirements.
President of NEM, Abduljabbar Alsayegh, expressed optimism about the partnership and said Indonesia had a strong national vision for developing critical minerals and rare earths.
"We are enthusiastic to begin a collaboration that strengthens and diversifies the global rare earth supply chain. This agenda is increasingly important for the global energy transition, technological leadership, and supply resilience," Abduljabbar said.
He said the cooperation was expected to become a strategic step in building vertical integration from resources to end products while strengthening Indonesia position in the global critical mineral ecosystem.