PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) has announced plans to officially begin production at its Gresik copper smelter facility this week.
Tony Wenas, the President Director of PTFI, said that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will inaugurate the smelter’s first production.
“The smelter in Gresik is operational and ready for production. We hope the President can inaugurate it next week,” Tony said on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
However, Tony noted that the inauguration date is still tentative and depends on the president’s availability.
Tony reported that the investment in building the Manyar copper smelter reached US$3.7 billion (Rp58 trillion).
“This is one of the significant investments and adds to the portfolio for the Minister of Investment, showing the investment made by PTFI here,” Tony Wenas said on June 27, 2024.
The Manyar smelter is located within the Java Integrated Industrial Estate (JIIPE) Special Economic Zone in Gresik, East Java. Tony described constructing this smelter as a major challenge.
He noted that the Manyar smelter is the world’s largest single-line copper smelter, with a capacity to process up to 1.7 million tons of copper concentrate. This capacity will produce 650,000 tons of copper cathode.
Additionally, the Manyar smelter can produce by-products such as sulfuric acid, slag, gypsum, and lead.
