Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) has outlined a schedule to restore large-scale output at Indonesia’s Grasberg minerals district in the second quarter of 2026, marking the first detailed timeline since a fatal incident earlier this year forced a major operational shutdown. The US-based copper producer disclosed the plan Tuesday, noting that remediation and preparatory work at the Grasberg Block Cave underground mine is currently underway to enable a phased restart.
The company suspended Block Cave operations after a Sept. 8 mudslide sent roughly 800,000 metric tons of saturated material into the underground workings. Seven workers were killed in the event, which Freeport described as catastrophic. The firm subsequently declared force majeure and initiated an investigation into the causes of the incident. Although the inquiry has been completed, Freeport has not yet released its findings publicly.
Operations at two other Grasberg underground mines — the Deep Mill Level Zone (DMLZ) and Big Gossan — resumed earlier, with the company stating that neither was affected by the September mud flow. Together with Block Cave, these sites form the core of one of the world’s largest integrated copper-gold mining complexes, previously producing approximately 1.7 billion pounds of copper and 1.4 million ounces of gold per year. The Grasberg district sits in the remote highlands of the Sudirman Mountains in Central Papua.
Grasberg is operated by Freeport, which holds an interest of about 49%, while the Indonesian government owns the remaining stake. The company said its future planning incorporates lessons from the September event. “We have incorporated the learnings from the recent tragic incident into our future plans and are implementing several initiatives to address the conditions that led to the incident,” chief executive Kathleen Quirk stated in Tuesday’s announcement.
The company also updated its multi-year production outlook. For 2026, Freeport expects Grasberg’s output to be on par with 2025 levels — roughly 1 billion pounds of copper and 900,000 ounces of gold. These figures are about 35% below the company’s earlier projections, following a downward revision in September after the incident disrupted long-term mine sequencing.
Production levels are forecast to increase between 2027 and 2029, averaging 1.6 billion pounds of copper and 1.3 million ounces of gold annually over the three-year period. The Block Cave mine is expected to supply about 70% of output during those years, reflecting its role as the source of half of Grasberg’s total mineral reserves.
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