PTFI Smelter Resumes Operation After ‘Maximum Efforts’ to Speed Repairs

June 9, 2025 - After extensive repairs following last year’s fire, PT Freeport Indonesia’s smelter successfully has resumed operations – a milestone celebrated on site by Chairman of the Board Richard Adkerson, President and CEO Kathleen Quirk and PTFI President Director Tony Wenas.

Quirk and Adkerson also joined Wenas for an employee meeting at the Manyar smelter to mark the completion of the repairs and to thank the employees whose efforts were critical to bringing the project back online.

“The attitude and the commitment of our team really showed through during our visit there,” Quirk said of leadership’s trip to the smelter site. In her remarks to employees at the meeting, Quirk also spoke of the value PTFI’s next generation of employees gained from the experience.

“That was really inspiring to see young people getting the benefit of the Freeport operation to support them in their education and their development as people,” she said.

The smelter will now enter the ramp-up phase, with production capacity gradually increasing from 40 percent to full production of 100 percent by December. The smelter is expected to produce copper cathodes by the fourth week of June, Wenas said.

The restarting of PTFI's smelter in the third week of May is an important achievement and concrete proof of the company's resilience in overcoming various challenges and fulfilling its downstream commitments, Wenas said.

A full-scale effort was used to speed repairs. This included deploying about 2,000 workers with a two-shift work plan focusing on repairs, procurement, construction and installation. PTFI used wide-body cargo planes to accelerate material delivery from abroad. These include Boeing 747 and three Antonov-AN124 trips, totaling more than 300 tons.

"Prioritizing safety, we made maximum efforts to complete smelter repairs and commissioning faster and more efficiently,” Wenas said. “We carried out each stage very carefully and with precise calculations to ensure the smelter returned to production as quickly as possible.

"This acceleration of smelter repairs and production is concrete evidence of PTFI as an integrated mining company from upstream to downstream, fully supporting the government's mineral resource downstream program and commitment to the Special Mining Business License," Wenas added.

The recommencement of PTFI's Smelter is a strategic step that not only supports domestic industry independence but also strengthens Indonesia's position in the global market, Wenas said.

"As part of the government's vision toward Golden Indonesia 2045, PTFI is committed to continuing to contribute and provide added value for the nation and country," he said.

Photos (top to bottom): Chairman of the Board Richard Adkerson and President and Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Quirk stop for a photo with PTFI smelter employees; Restarting the PTFI Smelter is a strategic step that supports domestic industry independence.