Grasberg Mine Recovery Targeted for 2027

PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) President Director Tony Wenas has stated that the Grasberg mine’s production capacity has yet to return to normal following a landslide in September 2025. This year, upstream production is estimated to reach only around 65 per cent of full capacity. According to Tony, the company is still carrying out repairs and ensuring all mining areas are safe before gradually increasing production. “As a result of the landslide in September 2025, the production ramp-up process is proceeding more slowly than we had anticipated. This year, production capacity is still around 65 per cent,” Tony said during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission XII on Tuesday, 14 July 2026. PTFI targets an increase in production capacity to approximately 75 per cent in the first half of 2027. Subsequently, production is expected to return to 100 per cent by the end of 2027. In line with the recovery of concentrate supply, Tony noted that Freeport’s smelter in Gresik will also increase its output. The new smelter is targeted to produce up to 600,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year. Together with the PT Smelting Gresik facility, Freeport’s total copper cathode production capacity will reach around 800,000 tonnes per year. In addition to copper cathode, the Precious Metal Refinery (PMR) located in the same area is targeted to produce up to 50 tonnes of gold per year through the refining of anode slime containing gold, silver, and other precious metals. On the mining side, Freeport estimates that the volume of ore mined in 2026 will average 124,000 tonnes per day, a decrease compared to the 2025 realisation of around 139,000 tonnes per day. This decline was influenced by the halt in production at the Deep Mill Level Zone (DMLZ) mine following the landslide. In 2026, PTFI is targeting production of approximately 800 million pounds of copper and 700,000 ounces of gold, equivalent to around 21 tonnes of gold. Tony projected that production will increase gradually to around 170,000 tonnes of ore per day in 2027, 208,000 tonnes per day in 2028, and 226,000 tonnes per day in 2029. “That is the normal level stage, or 100 per cent of our production,” he said.