Govt to allow Freeport to resume Grasberg operations soon

Government will soon allow PT. Freeport Indonesia, a unit of New Orleans–based copper and gold giant Freeport McMoRan Copper&Gold Inc. to resume full operations on its Grasberg open pit mine after the company had recovered remains of the six workers that were killed in a slippage on October 9.

“Government may soon allow Freeport to resume mining activities in Grasberg after the company had completed moving all the slippage material and the bodies of the workers were recovered,” said Director General of Geology and Mineral Resources Wimpy S.Tjetjep.

Freeport McMoRan in its November 26 release said all material involved in the affected mining areas has been removed and it was ready to resume full operations once the government gives approval.

The company in its latest report to the government said that the remains of the six workers that were killed in the accident had been recovered. Eight workers died in the accident and six bodies were buried in the slipped material that was estimated to be 2 million tons in volume.

Wimpy did not say when exactly the government will allow Freeport to resume operations, but another government official hinted that the approval might come in a week or two.

“But the government will take measures to prevent similar incident from happening in the future,” said the source. The source did not elaborate the measures.

Another accident that killed two workers of Freeport happened on November 22 when two workers were asphyxiated in an underground tunnel conveying ore from the Grasberg mine to mill facilities. (alex)