JAKARTA - Copper miner Freeport Indonesia has lowered its 2025 concentrate output target by almost a tenth to 3.29-million tons and is aiming for copper output of 1.67-billion pounds (757 499 metric tons), below last year's production of 1.8-billion pounds, the firm's chief said on Thursday.
The miner's output in 2026 is expected to drop further to 3.15-million tons of concentrate and 1.58-billion pounds of copper, Freeport Indonesia chief executive Tony Wenas told a parliamentary hearing.
"(Lower production) due to lower content, this is in accordance with our mine plan," Wenas said.
Freeport has submitted an export permit request to the government and is still waiting for a recommendation to export from the mining ministry, he added.
"We can obtain an export permit immediately after," Wenas said.
Freeport is seeking permission to export its copper concentrate after it was forced to stop copper cathode production at its new smelter in Gresik, East Java province, due to a fire at its gas cleaning unit in October.
Freeport had said the excess concentrate stockpile has the potential to reach 1.3-million tons.
Mining Minister Bahlil Lahadalia previously said the miner might get an export quota of around 1-million metric tons of concentrate. 