Indonesia will allow miners Freeport Indonesia and Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara to continue exporting copper concentrate until next year, despite a ban starting this June, as they complete construction of smelters, the mining minister said on Friday.
The government is due to ban exports of unprocessed minerals, such as copper and bauxite, in June as part of efforts to boost investment into its metals industry.
The government had to consider a delay to copper smelter construction caused by the pandemic, minister Arifin Tasrif told reporters, and expected those projects to be completed in May next year.
He said Freeport and Amman would therefore be allowed to export until May 2024.
