Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold will halt operations at its open-pit copper mine in Papua Province, Indonesia until the completion of government investigation into accidents at the site, which is likely to take about three months.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry coal and minerals director general Thamrin Sihite was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that the production will be temporarily shut down at both open pit and underground operations of Grasberg mine, the third-largest copper mine worldwide.
However, during the government probe, Freeport can ship ore concentrate from the existing stockpiles.
PT Freeport Indonesia, the operator of the mine, had resumed operations only last week after a fatal accident that claimed 28 lives, but the authorities ordered the company to stop production at the mine after a second underground tunnel collapse at the site on 31 May.