JAKARTA – PT Freeport Indonesia plans to resume export copper concentrate after reporting a fire incident at its smelting facility last October.

Freeport has proposed to the government to relax copper concentrate export regulations, at least until December 2025. This proposal has garnered support from the Ministry of Trade.

“Ministry of Trade supports the plan to relax export regulations, taking into account cost and benefit analysis of its impact on upstreaming service, as well as social and economic effects,” said Dyah Roro Esti, Deputy Minister of Trade, during a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs last week.

In the meantime, Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), claimed that as of now, the government has yet to be able to grant copper concentrate export relaxation policy for Freeport, as it has yet to provide a definitive timeline on when the smelter will resume operations.

“So, I told them [Freeport], we may grant the relaxation, but you have to sign off on when the repairs will be completed, so we can be fair,” added Lahadalia during Mandiri Investment Forum in Jakarta a couple of days ago.

The Indonesian government has banned copper concentrate export, effective since January 1, 2025. With the damage to its smelter, Freeport’s copper concentrate stockpile is being held up in its storage, located in Papua. (KR/ZH)