JAKARTA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Freeport Indonesia has

requested the government relax its copper export ban and allow

the miner to export 1.3 million metric tons of copper

concentrate until December, worth about $5 billion, its chief

executive said on Tuesday.

Resource-rich Indonesia has banned exports of unprocessed

ores to try to add value and encourage domestic processing, but

Freeport said it needed the relaxation as its new smelter in

Manyar, East Java, is undergoing repairs following a fire in

October.

Freeport has not exported any copper concentrate since its

last export permit expired at the end of 2024 and because of

that, its inventory has been rising.

The firm's copper mining operation was running at 40% capacity

at the moment due to rising stockpile, Chief Executive Tony

Wenas told reporters on the sidelines of an economic forum.

"We continue to discuss with the government. We are certain

we can be given (export relaxation), the process is ongoing,"

Wenas said.

Indonesia's government has previously indicated in could relax

the ban, as long as Freeport meets certain conditions.

The firm could guarantee that repairs at its Manyar smelter

would be completed and the smelter would be in operation by the

fourth week of June, Wenas said.

Last week, Reuters reported Freeport is expected to resume

shipments of copper concentrate from Indonesia this month,

citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.