Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. | Company Profile

About The Company

FCX is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. FCX operates large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. FCX has a dynamic portfolio of operating, expansion and growth projects in the copper industry and is the world’s largest producer of molybdenum.

The company’s portfolio of assets includes the Grasberg mining complex, the world’s largest copper and gold mine in terms of recoverable reserves, significant mining operations in the Americas, including the large scale Morenci and Safford minerals districts in North America and the Cerro Verde and El Abra operations in South America, and the potential world-class Tenke Fungurume development project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

FCX has significant, high-potential exploration rights in regions around the world, including prospective acreage in Papua, Indonesia, opportunities outside the area of initial development at Tenke Fungurume, as well as a portfolio of exciting exploration targets in North America and South America.  FCX will continue its longstanding focus on adding value through exploration.

The Projects

North American Mines

In North America, Freeport activities comprise copper operations from mining through rod production, molybdenum operations from mining through conversion to chemical and metallurgical products, and the marketing and sale of both product lines. The Company has five operating copper mines in North America – Morenci, Bagdad, Sierrita, Safford and Tyrone, and one operating molybdenum mine – Henderson. In addition, the Chino mine was placed on a care and maintenance status in December 2008.  The Freeport North American mining division also includes rod and refining operations, which consist of copper conversion facilities including a smelter, refinery, rod mill and a specialty copper products facility.

South American Mines

The Company has four operating copper mines in South America – Cerro Verde in Peru, and Candelaria, Ojos del Salado and El Abra in Chile. These operations include open-pit and underground mining, sulfide ore concentrating, leaching and SX/EW.

The Africa Project

The Tenke Fungurume mining project is a partnership led by Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold, the Lundin Mining Corporation and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, through Gecamines.

The Indonesia Project

Freeport Indonesia mines, processes and explores for ore containing copper, gold and silver. It operates in the remote highlands in the province of Papua, Indonesia, which is on the western half of the island of New Guinea. PT Freeport Indonesia markets its concentrates containing copper, gold and silver worldwide.

The Grasberg mining complex is one of the world’s largest single producers of both copper and gold, and contains the largest recoverable reserves of copper and the largest single gold reserve in the world. The Company began open-pit mining of the Grasberg ore body in 1990. Open-pit operations are expected to continue until mid-2015, at which time the Grasberg underground mining operations are scheduled to begin. Grasberg is at the heart of a highly prospective minerals district, where ongoing exploration is providing opportunities to continue to add to the companie's long-lived reserves.

For more detailed information about the projects and the company in general, please visit the website of Freeport-McMoRan !

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