PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) announced that it produces 1 million tons of the world-class quality copper annually.

The statement was made during a media gathering held by PTFI in Jayapura City, Papua Province, on Thursday.

PTFI Vice President of Corporate Communication Katri Krisnati highlighted that while 2024 brought several challenges, the company also achieved remarkable milestones.

"One of the unexpected achievements was the recent inauguration of a copper smelter with the world’s largest production capacity," she said.

Katri also mentioned that the smelter is located in Gresik, East Java Province.

“With the inauguration of this smelter, copper concentrate from Papua can now be fully processed within the country,” she said.

She added that the smelter is expected to produce 1 million tons of copper cathodes annually.

“In addition to producing 1 million tons of copper cathode, it will also generate 50 tons of gold bars, 200 tons of silver, and various other precious metals,” she said.

She further noted that with the operation of the smelter in Gresik, East Java, PT Freeport Indonesia has become the world’s largest copper mine operator and now manages a smelter with some of the highest mining revenues globally.

“PT Freeport Indonesia is now the world's largest vertically integrated mining company, from upstream to downstream,” she added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ribka Haluk, who previously served as Acting Governor of Central Papua, expressed confidence that the presence of the smelter in Gresik would boost production and positively impact the regional economy.

“I am impressed that the largest downstream smelting industry has been inaugurated and is now operational, which will significantly contribute to both the regional and national economies,” she said.