Freeport's Smelter Capacity Reaches 3 Million Tonnes of Copper Per Year

PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) President Director Tony Wenas has stated that the company’s two smelters now have a total processing capacity of 3 million tonnes of copper concentrate per year. This capacity comes from the new smelter in the Gresik Special Economic Zone (KEK), which can process 1.7 million dry metric tonnes (dmt) of concentrate annually, and the PT Smelting Gresik smelter, with a capacity of 1.3 million dmt per year. In addition to the smelting facilities, Freeport has also built a precious metal refinery (PMR) to purify anode sludge containing valuable metals such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals. Through these facilities, Freeport produces pure gold, silver, copper, and platinum group metals. The smelter also generates by-products including sulphuric acid, slag, gypsum, and lead. The new smelter in Gresik began operations in June 2024 during the commissioning phase and started producing copper cathodes in August 2024. However, in October 2024, a fire broke out at the Gas Cleaning Plant (GCP), a unit that captures sulphur dioxide emissions from the smelting furnace before they are processed into sulphuric acid. Although the facility is relatively small, the GCP is a vital component in the production process as it prevents environmental pollution. Repairs were completed, and the smelter resumed operations in May 2025. Operations were disrupted again after a landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine in Papua on 8 September 2025. The incident halted the supply of concentrate to Gresik, forcing the smelter to process only the remaining stockpile. Since December 2025, the new smelter has been temporarily shut down. The company is using this period to carry out maintenance and facility improvements to ensure readiness once concentrate supply from Papua is restored. PTFI is targeting the new Gresik smelter to resume receiving concentrate and begin the purification process in September this year, with a gradual ramp-up to full operating capacity by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the PT Smelting Gresik smelter continues to operate normally and is currently processing around 50 percent of PTFI’s concentrate production from Papua.