Jakarta. Gold miner Freeport Indonesia expects its Grasberg Block Cave underground mine in Tembagapura to resume operations in the first quarter of 2026, following a major slide in September that left seven dead and forced a halt to production, the company told lawmakers on Monday.

Freeport Indonesia President Director Tony Wenas said the recovery of the mine’s working areas and supporting facilities remains the company’s top operational priority heading into 2026.

“We continue to carry out restoration work at the Grasberg Block Cave mine with the target of restarting operations within the first three months of 2026,” Tony said during a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission VI in Jakarta.

Tony said the company expects gold output to rise to around 43 tons in both 2028 and 2029 as mining activities normalize and production capacity improves. The projection aligns with Freeport’s medium-term production plan, he said.

He also confirmed that Freeport is building a fourth underground mine in the same region, known as the Kucing Liar mine. The project was initially expected to begin production in 2028, but an earlier incident has delayed the start date by about one year.

“Kucing Liar is now estimated to begin producing in 2029, and with this addition, we expect higher overall metal yields than we see today,” Tony said.

Government Investigation Ongoing

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) is still investigating the September cave-in at the Grasberg Block Cave site in Mimika. The probe involves officials from the ministry’s Directorate General of Minerals and Coal (Minerba) and the Directorate General of Law Enforcement.

“This is being consolidated between Minerba and Gakkum,” Deputy Energy Minister Yuliot Tanjung said on Nov. 7 in Jakarta.

He said the investigation aims to determine the root cause of the slide, including whether negligence or regulatory violations were involved.

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