Freeport Starts Shipping to Europe

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After exporting copper and gold concentrates to China earlier this month, US-based miner Freeport Indonesia is now targeting European countries. Freeport has shipped concentrate to Spain it its second wave of export after the government allowed the company to resume its exports.

"The second wave of Freeport's export reached 50,000 tons," Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Susilo Siswoutomo, said yesterday.

According to Susilo, the shipment shows that Freeport's business activities have returned to normal. Since January, the company was unable to ship its output to overseas market, hampered by government's ban on the export of raw minerals.

Freeport re-obtained its export permit after it committed to help develop Indonesia's mineral processing industry by building smelters and agreeing to revise its CoW and mining contract.

Met in Jayapura, yesterday, Freeport president director Rozik Soetjipto said the company has exported 60,000 tons of concentrates since it resumed its overseas shipment. To be able to export, Freeport is imposed a 7.5-percent export duty, and must pay a bigger royalty than before. When exporting 10,000 tons of concentrate to China, the company paid a duty of Rp19.86 billion. The shipment to Spain cost Rp98 billion in export duty.

AYU PRIMA SANDI | PUTRI ADITYOWATI