Indonesia trade ministry supports extending Freeport’s copper export permit

The trade ministry is only one of a number of government agencies that have to sign off on reopening copper concentrate exports for Freeport, with the mining, finance and coordinating economic affairs ministries also involved. Freeport's last export permit expired at the end of 2024, but the company has requested it can continue selling copper concentrate abroad because its local copper smelter was in repair after a fire in October last year. "The trade ministry supports a plan to relax the export policy after weighing the cost and benefit analysis ... while also observing the sustainability of the government's natural resource downstreaming policy," deputy minister Dyah Roro Esti said in a statement.

Freeport Indonesia said that it's currently negotiating with the government over the export permit and believed the government "would accommodate" it.

Freeport-McMoran's executives last month said Jakarta has indicated to the company [1] it would support allowing copper concentrate exports in 2025.

(By Ananda Teresia and Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Martin Petty and David Evans)

References

^ has indicated to the company (www.mining.com)
^ Freeport warns copper export ban could cost Indonesia £2bn in lost revenue (www.mining.com)