Bauxite mining in Indonesia

Bauxite was first discovered in modern Indonesia in the Riau Islands in 1924, under the Dutch East Indies administration.

Most ores in this period were exported to Japan, with smaller quantities being sold to Europe and North America.

There were also no alumina plants in Indonesia, though there were proposals to construct one in Bintan and another in the then newly discovered bauxite deposits in West Kalimantan.

[1][2] In 2014, the Indonesian government banned the export of raw bauxite among other ores, intended to stimulate the development of aluminium smelters in the country.

However, the ban failed to meet its objectives, with bauxite importers purchasing more ore from neighboring Malaysia.