Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia Tony Wenas stated that the company’s smelter in Gresik, East Java, has halted operations due to a lack of concentrate supply following a recent landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) underground mine in Papua.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum (IISF) in Jakarta on Saturday, Wenas explained that mining activities at the GBC site have been suspended since a wet ore mudslide occurred in the Extraction 28-30 Panel area of the underground mine in Tembagapura, Central Papua, on September 8.
“Right now, operations can be said to have stopped because there's no concentrate,” Wenas told reporters.
Wenas explained that the operational shutdown, which began on September 8, was intended to focus resources on the evacuation of seven workers who were trapped in the mining area.
However, although Freeport announced that the search process had been completed on October 6 — as all the victims had been gradually found — mining activities remain on hold as the company works alongside the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) to conduct a comprehensive investigation and safety evaluation.
Freeport’s smelter located in Gresik, East Java, has also not received concentrate supply from other sources. Wenas further said the company is currently exploring other options to resume production.
The impact of the more-than-a-month-long suspension of Freeport’s mining operations on the company’s production performance will soon be assessed.
Wenas emphasized that Freeport’s current priority is restoring the mine, following the completion of the evacuation of the seven trapped workers.
“We remain focused on restoration, investigation, and subsequent evaluation,” he said.
