BASE METALS

Police officer killed near Grasberg

Giant copper-gold operations reportedly not affected

Staff reporter

This article is 4 years old. Images might not display.

The attack was believed to be by members of the Free Papua Organisation's military unit, the West Papua Liberation Army.

It follows another reported fatal clash in late February.

A spokesman for mine owner PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI) Riza Pratama told Associated Press gunshots were heard near its work area, prompting the company to turn on sirens to warn employees and their families who lived on site.

He said the company had urged workers to be vigilant, but the attacks would not affect its operations.

Mine operator and former majority owner Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) is "laser-focused" on transitioning the giant openpit to an underground operation, which could see output increase to 1.7 billion pounds of copper and 1.8 million ounces of gold by 2023.

The openpit has produced an aggregate 27Blb of copper and 46Moz of gold in the 30 years to the end of 2019, Freeport said in January

Indonesia has taken a majority stake in PT-FI through an agreement reached in December 2018 following long-running negotiations. 

 

The Free Papua Organisation is seeking freedom from Indonesian rule and has said the government was stealing the region's resources.

It had called on the international community earlier this month to mediate negotiations with the government to end more than five decades of armed conflict.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2024: Net Zero

Gain insights into decarbonisation trends and strategies from interviews with 20+ top mining executives and experts plus an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Project Pipeline Handbook 2024

View our 50 top mining projects, handpicked using a unique, objective selection process from a database of 450+ global assets.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Investor Sentiment Report 2024

Survey revealing the plans, priorities, and preferences of 120+ mining investors and their expectations for the sector in 2024.