PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) President Director Tony Wenas confirmed that all employees at the company’s smelter in the Java Integrated Industrial Estate Pulau Jawa (JIIPE) Gresik will remain employed until operations resume in April 2026. Despite the smelter’s suspension due to concentrate supply disruptions, no layoffs have been carried out; only contract worker numbers have been reduced as full-scale operations are not yet feasible. The temporary production halt stemmed from a September 8, 2025 landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) underground mine in Tembagapura, Papua, which cut PTFI’s output to ~30% of normal capacity—65,000 to 70,000 tons daily, down from the usual 200,000 tons. GBC is projected to restart mining in March 2026, with concentrate shipments to the smelter expected in April to enable operational resumption.

During the supply gap, the Gresik team focuses on routine maintenance to ensure technical readiness for restart. Prior to the disruption, the smelter’s capacity rate-up had hit 70-80% and was on track for full capacity without the halt. Continuous heating, maintenance, and area neutralization works are ongoing to allow an immediate phased restart once concentrate arrives. The PTFI smelter in Gresik employs ~2,000 workers at full capacity (1,200 contra...