Jakarta. The government will soon discuss extending Freeport Indonesia's (PTFI) copper concentrate export permit, which expired on Jan. 1, 2025.

According to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, the meeting will involve President Prabowo Subianto and relevant ministers and is expected to take place in the near future.

The expiration of the export permit has led to a buildup of copper concentrate at PTFI's storage facilities. The government, however, is pushing for the mineral refining process to be conducted domestically, following the completion of PTFI's smelter facility in Gresik, East Java.

The smelter, intended to support the government's downstream mineral processing goals, faced a setback after a fire in October 2024, delaying its operational schedule.

"We will bring the export permit issue to a meeting with the President. We are currently reviewing it because Freeport’s smelter has been completed, but then, unfortunately, there was an incident," Bahlil said during a press briefing at his office in Jakarta on Friday.

The government has urged PTFI to expedite the repairs on the smelter following the fire. Discussions on the export permit will involve the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Finance Ministry, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, and the Energy and Mineral Resources Minsitry.

Bahlil emphasized the importance of addressing PTFI's business operations, given its significant economic contribution. "I need to report this to the President first through a meeting. As this involves regulations, it must go through proper discussions," he concluded.