Freeport gets expansion approval

JAKARTA: P.T. Freeport Indonesia has received approval from State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja of the regional Environmental Impact Analysis it conducted.

The approval will enable the company to expand its milling rate up to a maximum of 300,000 tons of ore per day.

"We are pressing ahead with an aggressive construction schedule to meet the company's previously announced objective for increasing mill capacity to at least 190,000 to 200,000 tons per day by mid-1998. And, eventually, up to 300,000 tons per day," said Adrianto Machribie, Freeport Indonesia's president director.

The current expansion to the 190,000 tons to 200,000 tons per day level, which was expected to cost approximately US$1 billion, will create job opportunities and financial benefits for Irian Jaya and Indonesia, the company claimed.

The expansion also brings Freeport Indonesia's total investment to over $4 billion, with over 16,000 Indonesians working in mineral exploration and development, and the mining and milling of copper, gold and silver in Irian Jaya, it said. (09)