Freeport targets 43 tons of gold output in 2028 after GBC slide
Grasberg Block Cave is projected to return to full capacity in the second half of 2027, with 2026 gold output near 21 tons.
PT Freeport Indonesia is targeting output of 1.4 million ounces, or about 43 tons of gold, and 1.6 billion pounds of copper in 2028 as the underground Grasberg Block Cave mine in Mimika, Central Papua, recovers. PT Freeport Indonesia President Director Tony Wenas said the target is supported by an increase in ore mining to an average of 208,000 tons per day in 2028, from a target of 170,000 tons per day in 2027. The recovery follows a slide at the GBC area on Sept. 8, 2025 that reduced production capacity. In the first half of 2026, GBC capacity was still about 50 percent of normal and is expected to rise to 65 percent in the second half of 2026. Freeport aims for capacity to reach 75 percent in the first half of 2027 and return to 100 percent in the second half of 2027. For 2026, output is projected at 700,000 ounces, or 21 tons of gold, and 800 million pounds of copper.