Freeport Indonesia aims for Manyar smelter restart next month, CEO says
JAKARTA - Copper and gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia plans to resume production at its Manyar smelter in September as copper concentrate production from its Grasberg mine gradually recovers, CE Tony Wenas told reporters on Friday.
Copper concentrate shipments have gradually resumed from its Grasberg mine in Indonesia's Papua region to the Manyar smelter in East Java, and production at the smelter should restart next month, as scheduled, he said.
Activities at Grasberg's main mine were halted last year following a fatal mud flow incident. The recovery in operations is ongoing and the mine is expected to approach full capacity by the end of 2027, Wenas said.
Since mining activities restarted, Freeport's other smelter, PT Smelting, was the priority recipient of Grasberg's copper concentrate output.
Production of copper cathode this year is estimated to reach nearly 400000 tons from both the Manyar and PT Smelting facilities.
