Freeport Forecasts Grasberg Mine Production Will Rise to This Level

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) expects mining activity and copper-gold production to increase significantly in the coming years, in line with the recovery of Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) operations following last year’s landslide.

Freeport Indonesia President Director Tony Wenas said that in 2026, mining volume is projected to reach around 124,000 tonnes of ore per day.

“I can share here that our mining plan or projection for 2026 is 124,000 tonnes of ore per day. This compares with our normal capacity of roughly 200,000 tonnes of ore per day,” Tony said during a hearing with Commission XII of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Tuesday (15/9/2026).

According to him, production has not yet returned to normal capacity due to the wet material landslide that occurred in September 2025. The incident not only affected mining activities but also required the company to modify a number of equipment supporting its operations.

“So for this year, we are still at around 65% of normal capacity. This is due to the wet material landslide last September, which also required us to modify several pieces of equipment,” he added.

He projected that the production recovery will continue in the following years. In 2027, mining volume is projected to increase to around 170,000 tonnes of ore per day, or about 75% of normal capacity.

Then in 2028, production is projected to approach full capacity, with volumes reaching around 208,000 tonnes of ore per day. By 2029 and 2030, mining volumes are expected to exceed 220,000 tonnes of ore per day.

“Furthermore, in 2029 and 2030 it could exceed 220,000 tonnes of ore per day. In terms of the metal to be produced from the mined ore, in 2026 we will be able to produce 800 million pounds of copper and 700,000 ounces of gold. That 700,000 ounces of gold equates to 21 tonnes of gold in 2026,” Tony said.