Erick Thohir said Freeport had helped downstream Indonesia

JAKARTA -- Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir admitted that he had discussed the investment development of PT Freeport Indonesia and ensured the completion of the smelter construction in Gresik, East Java.

This was the point of Erick's meeting with Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Freeport McMoran, Rhicard Adkerson and President and a member of the Board of Directors of Freeport McMoran Kathleen L Quirk, at the BUMN Ministry office, Jakarta, Tuesday (12/12 /2023).

"The downstreaming of Freeport has been going on for decades and this is the first time under President Jokowi's administration that they have started investing in smelters," said Erick, Wednesday (13/12/2023).

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Erick said that the presence of two Freeport officials was a follow-up to discussions in Washington DC, United States (US), last November. Erick said that the Gresik Smelter will start operating in the near future.

Erick said the operation of the Gresik smelter was a historic achievement. This is in line with Indonesia's commitment to accelerate downstreaming.

"This is extraordinary, while raw goods have been sent to many countries, now we are doing the downstreaming here. So the increased value or derivatives can be in Indonesia now, not just sent to other countries," said Erick.