JAKARTA, July 14 (Xinhua) -- PT Freeport Indonesia, a major Indonesian mine company, expects to produce 1.6 billion pounds of copper and 1.4 million ounces, or about 43 tonnes, of gold in 2028 as its Grasberg Block Cave underground mine recovers from a collapse last year, the company's President Director Tony Wenas said Tuesday.
He told a parliamentary hearing that ore extraction was projected to increase gradually, with the mine expected to return to full operating capacity in the second half of 2027 before production rises further in 2028.
The Grasberg Block Cave mine has operated below capacity since a landslide in September 2025.
Freeport expects to produce about 800 million pounds of copper and 700,000 ounces, or about 21 tonnes, of gold in 2026. Mining capacity is projected to recover from around 50 percent in the first half of this year to full capacity by late 2027.
Located in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, the Grasberg mining complex is one of the world's largest copper and gold mines.
The Indonesian government holds a majority stake in PT Freeport Indonesia through state-owned mining holding company MIND ID. ■