Heaptalk, Jakarta — President Prabowo Subianto officially inaugurated the smelter, or precious metals refining plant, owned by PT Freeport Indonesia in the Gresik Special Economic Zone (SEZ), East Java, on Monday (03/17).
In his speech during the inauguration ceremony, Prabowo emphasized the importance of the smelter’s ability to process concentrate into precious metals such as gold and silver. “This is truly something very important for our nation and country. This is what we desire—for our nation and country not only to sell raw materials but also to sell finished products. These end products have significant added value,” he said.
Prabowo further stated that Freeport Indonesia’s smelter in Gresik is believed to be the world’s largest precious metals refining plant, especially one that processes materials from upstream to downstream.
On the same occasion, the President also expressed his gratitude to Freeport Indonesia and Freeport-McMoRan, which have operated in Indonesia for over 50 years. In his speech, Prabowo praised Freeport-McMoRan for contributing to the national economy. He added, “They are, in my opinion, an example of a responsible and good corporation, and now they have proven it by establishing downstream processing in Indonesia.”
Prabowo arrived in Gresik at around 1:00 PM local time after flying by helicopter from the apron of Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. During his working visit to East Java, he was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. After inaugurating the smelter in Gresik, the President flew to Sidoarjo to simultaneously inaugurate 17 stadiums across Indonesia from the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo Stadium.
