Bahlil Still Gives Freeport Sanctions If Allowed To Export Copper Concentrat

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia gave a signal that he would again allow PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) to export copper concentrate in the near future.

Just so you know, PTFI is aggressively asking the government to reopen the tap for export of copper concentrate due to the smelter fire which caused the operational activities of smelters to stop for the same time.

"Freeport has made a statement, and reports from the police and from insurance also exist, and gradually we are still providing space to export concentrate," Bahlil told the media crew quoted on Thursday, February 20.

However, Bahlil ensured that he would still impose sanctions on PTFI if later the export permit had been granted by the government. The sanctions that will be given are in the form of imposition of greater export costs than before.

"We give the sanction, the sanction is that we increase the export tax. So he pays to a country bigger than before," Bahlil explained.

Bahlil added that the government's consideration is that currently 51 percent of PTFI's shares are owned by Indonesia and have provided a lot of income for Indonesia.

The reason is, after the fire occurred, the operational activities of the new smelter had to be stopped and had an impact on the fate of the workers.

"If not, tens of thousands of employees will be laid off. And the second is the potential for Freeport's revenue and the state will also be lost," said Bahlil.