Construction Of Smelter Freeport In Gresik Already 54 Percent, President Director Of MIND ID: Will Rampung At The End Of 2023, Cooperatives Komersil In 2024

Photo: Doc. Antara

President Director of MIND ID Hendi Prio Santoso revealed that the progress of the construction of a smelter (purification plant) by PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) in the Java Integrated and Industrial Port Estate (JIIPE) Manyar area, Gresik, East Java reached 54 percent.

"Then proceed to the copper smelter and the 'precious metal refinery' which carried out PT Freeport Indonesia activities located in Gresik, East Java. Thank God the progress that we have achieved has reached 54 percent at the end of January," Hendi said during a hearing (RDP) with Commission VII DPR RI, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, February 6.

He said the project was targeted for completion by the end of 2023.

"God willing, it will reach 100 percent construction completion by the end of 2023 and will proceed to the soft commissioning phase and 'ramp up' operations in June 2024," said Hendi.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto during a visit to the JIIPE area, Gresik, Thursday (2/2) said the realization of investment in the construction of the PTFI smelter project in the area reached 1.6 billion US dollars.

He said the presence of the smelter in Gresik is the largest "Smelter Design Single Line" in the world with a concentrate processing capacity of 1,700,000 dmt/year.

The target for completion of the smelter construction is the end of 2023 and the "commissioning" at the end of May 2024 and commercial operations by the end of 2024.

Airlangga said the progress of the construction of the stake pole smelter had reached 17,434 or 100 percent, while the concrete work was around 45 percent or 100 thousand m3.

Meanwhile, PTFI President Director Toni Wenas explained that the Manyar smelter is designed to have a copper concentrate processing capacity of 2 million tons per year which makes it the largest copper processing ground in the world.

The results of the processing of the Manyar smelter will be added to the operating smelter processing capacity, PT Smelting, with a processing capacity of 1 million tons of copper concentrate every year.

"Thus, after the Manyar smelter operates, Freeport is able to process 3 million tons of copper concentrate per year," he said.

Smelter Manyar will produce a copper cathode of 550,000 tons per year. The smelter is also equipped with gold and silver refining.