Freeport to Build New Smelter in Gresik
26 January 2015 12:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Copper and gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia is set to build the world’s biggest smelter in Gresik, East Java.
In this project, Freeport will make an investment of US$2.3 billion (Rp28.7 trillion).
PT Freeport Indonesia President Director Maroef Sjamsoeddin said that the company is embarking on cooperation with state-owned electricity company PT PLN to ensure supply of electricity for the smelter.
Maroef believed that electricity supply for the smelter, which is set operate in 2017, could be met.
Guarantee of electricity supply, he said, has already been stated in the feasibility study of the construction of the smelter in the land owned by PT Petrokimia Gresik.
In the meantime, Director General of Mineral and Coal of the Energy Ministry R. Sukhyar said that electricity supply for Freeport would be helpd by the government’s program to provide 35,000 megawatt of electricity.
Besides, Sukhyar said, the construction of smelter in Java island would be more plausible because of the easy access.
KHAIRUL ANAM