JAKARTA. The sulphuric acid refinery unit, a part of the smelting facility of PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) located in Special Economic Zone (lit. Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus/KEK) of Gresik, was reportedly caught in fire yesterday (14/10).
Katri Krisnati, VP Corporate Secretary of PTFI, said that there were no casualties reported in the incident, despite the fire had only been put out after 3 hours starting from 5.45 PM WIB.
There are no casualties in this incident. The safety of our employees are or priority,* added Krisnati.
According to IDNFinancials data, PTFIs smelter had just been inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on September 23, 2024. With investment worth IDR 56 trillion, this smelter is projected to fully operate in January 2025 and generate 900,000 to 1 million tons of copper cathodes.
On another occasion, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, Bahlil Lahadalia, claimed that PTFIs smelting facility indeed cannot be directly operated by 100% of its full capacity. Yesterday was only the Commercial Operation Date (COD); the factory cannot be pushed to 100%. If forced, the factory may explode, said Lahadalia. (KR/ZH)