Copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia has secured an export permit for copper concentrate for the rest of the year, according to the company’s spokesperson Agung Laksamana. However, Laksamana did not provide details on the export volume.
Indonesia had earlier announced that it would allow Freeport to continue exporting copper concentrate for the rest of the year until its new smelter reaches full capacity. This is despite the country’s ban on the shipment of raw minerals.
Freeport recently launched its $3.7 billion copper smelter in Gresik, East Java, which has a total input capacity of 1.7 million metric tons. However, the company said the smelter will only reach full capacity in December, leaving excess copper concentrate available for export.
In addition to Freeport, the Indonesian government has also promised to extend a copper concentrate export permit for a unit of Amman Mineral Internasional, which is also finalizing the construction of its smelter. As of Tuesday, an Amman spokesperson said their export permit was being processed.
The move to allow continued copper concentrate exports is part of Indonesia’s efforts to transition towards a more value-added, downstream mineral processing industry. The country has been implementing a ban on the export of raw minerals since 2014 in a bid to encourage the development of domestic smelting and refining capabilities.