Freeport Underground Mine Production Expected to Return to Normal in 2027

PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) estimates that production at the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) underground mine will return to normal levels in 2027, as part of the recovery process following a landslide incident in September 2025. President Director of Freeport Indonesia, Tony Wenas, stated that the company is currently undertaking recovery efforts, particularly in Production Block 1, which was the most severely affected. Meanwhile, mining activities in Production Block 2 and Production Block 3 have begun operating on a limited basis. According to Tony, production increases (ramp-up) will be carried out gradually from May 2026 until the first quarter of 2027, before all production blocks can operate optimally. “The plan is to carry out the ramp-up starting from May until the first quarter of 2027, when we will begin operating Production Block 1, which is indeed high grade,” said Tony during a working meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives, on Monday (13/4/2026). From a production perspective, he mentioned that the ore mining volume reached 139,000 tonnes per day in 2025 and is expected to increase to 156,000 tonnes per day in 2026. Production is then projected to return to normal levels of around 200,000 tonnes of ore per day in 2027 and continue through 2029. “And in 2027, we will be able to achieve production of around 200,000 tonnes of ore per day, which is already our normal production level, and so on until 2029 and beyond,” he said. For metal production, in 2026 the company targets 1.1 billion pounds of copper and around 800,000 ounces or 26 tonnes of gold. All of this gold production is planned to be absorbed by PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (Antam). “Then the work plan for 2027 will increase to 1.5 billion pounds of copper metal and gold reaching 39 tonnes or 1.3 million ounces. In 2028, it will reach even higher levels of 1.7 billion pounds of copper and 43 tonnes of gold, and so on,” said Tony.