TOP 10

By Richard Jones – grasberg pano , CC BY-SA 2.0 .

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Known as the largest gold mine in the world , the Grasberg mine ’ s reserves had been deemed as near-insignificant in the mid-1980s before an exploration in 1988 by PT Freeport Indonesia discovered the incredible reserves that are still mined to this day . Its reserves are estimated to hold a value of around US $ 40bn , and it is majority-owned by Freeport-McMoRan in partnership with Rio Tinto , one of the world ’ s foremost mining giants . PT Freeport Indonesia operates the mine , with Freeport owning 48.74 % of the company and the majority of the remaining stake being owned by the Indonesian government through Indonesia Asahan Aluminium and PT Indonesia Papua Metal & Mineral . Part open-pit and part underground , around 75 % of production came from the former as of 2016 . In 2022 , Freeport-McMoRan aims to finish installing a new smelter at the facility .

SUMMER / AUTUMN 2020