Freeport's New Kucing Liar Mine Project to Produce 735,000 Ounces of Gold Annually

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is developing an underground mining project called Kucing Liar in the Grasberg mineral district, Tembagapura, Mimika Regency, Central Papua. The project is projected to become one of the company’s primary sources of copper and gold production over the coming decade.

Citing a Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) report, development of the Kucing Liar mine has been under way since 2022 as part of a long-term strategy to sustain production in the Grasberg area.

“Since 2022, PTFI has been carrying out long-term mine development activities at the Kucing Liar deposit, located in the Grasberg mineral district,” the Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) first-half 2026 performance report stated, quoted on Wednesday (5/8/2026).

Production from the Kucing Liar mine is targeted to begin ramping up around 2030, reaching its design capacity of approximately 130,000 metric tonnes of ore per day.

At full operation, Kucing Liar is expected to produce an average of 750 million pounds of copper and around 735,000 ounces of gold per year. The new mine is hoped to maintain PT Freeport Indonesia’s large-scale production in the Grasberg area over the long term.

As of 30 June 2026, PTFI had invested at least around US$1.4 billion, or roughly Rp25 trillion (at an assumed exchange rate of Rp17,923 per US dollar), in the development of the Kucing Liar mining project.

The company estimates that additional investment in the project will reach around US$4 billion, equivalent to approximately Rp71.69 trillion, through 2033.