Erick Thohir Says Freeport Smelter Operates Again September 2025

Minister Erick Thohir (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir confirmed that the smelter belonging to PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) will resume operations in September in 2025.

For your information, PTFI has stopped the smelter operation after a fire broke out in the PTFI smelter work area in the JIIPE Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Gresik.

Furthermore, Erick acknowledged that PTFI's production would be delayed until the smelter could operate normally.

"It will be produced in September (next year). Yes, there will be several months of delays," he said when met at the BUMN Ministry Office, Jakarta, Tuesday, December 24.

Previously reported, PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) President Director Tony Wenas said the incident of the burning of the PTFI copper smelter in the Gresik JIIPE Special Economic Zone (SEZ), East Java on Monday, October 14, caused the operation of the purification facility to be temporarily suspended.

"There was an accident, a fire, so we had to stop first and we had to fix it first so that flexibility was needed to be able to export in 2025 until the smelter operated again," Tony said as quoted on Thursday, December 5.

Tony said that for additional export quota, his party had submitted it to the government and was waiting for approval. Just so you know, PTFI's copper concentrate export license is valid until December 31, 2024.

But unfortunately, Tony did not provide further information on the additional amount of quota submitted to the government.

"Again, we discuss with the government the additional quota is not relaxation, this is an additional export quota for this year, in 2024 there will be only a month left," Tony continued.

Furthermore, Tony added, Freeport is still calculating the estimated recovery time of the smelter that caught fire in October. Based on preliminary estimates, the smelter can return to full operation within about six months.

"We're still calculating, but maybe it's estimated for about six months," Tony said.