General Information (Unaudited)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

General Information [Abstract]

General Information

GENERAL INFORMATION

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and do not include all information and disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the United States (U.S.). Therefore, this information should be read in conjunction with Freeport-McMoRan Inc.’s (FCX) consolidated financial statements and notes contained in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (2018 Form 10-K). The information furnished herein reflects all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods reported. All such adjustments are, in the opinion of management, of a normal recurring nature, except for the adjustment discussed in Note 12. Operating results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019.

Property, Plant, Equipment and Mine Development Costs. The following is an update to FCX’s property, plant, equipment and mine development costs accounting policy included in Note 1 of its 2018 Form 10-K. Development costs are capitalized beginning after proven and probable mineral reserves have been established. Development costs include costs incurred resulting from mine pre-production activities undertaken to gain access to proven and probable reserves, including shafts, adits, drifts, ramps, permanent excavations, infrastructure and removal of overburden. For underground mines certain costs related to panel development, such as undercutting and drawpoint development, are also capitalized as mine development costs until production reaches design capacity for the mine. After reaching design capacity, the mine transitions to the production phase and panel development costs are allocated to inventory and then included as a component of cost of goods sold.

Attribution of PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI) Net Income or Loss. FCX has concluded that the attribution of PT-FI’s net income or loss from the date of the divestment transaction (i.e., December 21, 2018) through December 31, 2022 (the Initial Period), should be based on the economics replacement agreement, which provides for FCX and the other pre-transaction PT-FI shareholders (i.e., PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Persero) (PT Inalum) and PT Indonesia Papua Metal Dan Mineral (PTI)) to retain the economics of the revenue and cost sharing arrangements under PT-FI’s joint venture formerly with Rio Tinto Plc (refer to Note 2 of FCX’s 2018 Form 10-K). The economics replacement agreement entitles FCX to approximately 81 percent of PT-FI dividends paid during the Initial Period, with the remaining 19 percent paid to the noncontrolling interests. PT-FI’s net loss in third-quarter 2019 totaled $24 million, of which $20 million was attributed to FCX, and for the first nine months of 2019 totaled $28 million, of which $23 million was attributed to FCX. PT-FI’s cumulative net loss since the December 21, 2018, transaction date through September 30, 2019, totaled $164 million, of which $133 million was attributed to FCX.

The above-described attribution of PT-FI’s net income or loss applies only through the Initial Period. Beginning January 1, 2023, the attribution of PT-FI’s net income or loss will be based on equity ownership percentages (48.76 percent for FCX, 26.24 percent for PT Inalum and 25.00 percent for PTI). For all of its other partially owned consolidated subsidiaries, FCX attributes net income or loss based on equity ownership percentages.

Agreement to Sell a Portion of Cobalt Business. In second-quarter 2019, FCX entered into an agreement to sell its cobalt refinery in Kokkola, Finland, and related cobalt cathode precursor business (consisting of approximately $201 million of assets and $76 million of liabilities at September 30, 2019) for total consideration of approximately $150 million, plus working capital at the time of closing. FCX and the current noncontrolling interest partners in Freeport Cobalt will retain the remaining cobalt business, which is a producer of cobalt fine powders, chemicals, catalysts, ceramics and pigments. The transaction is expected to close by year-end 2019. Lundin Mining Corporation, which is one of the noncontrolling interest partners, is entitled to receive 30 percent of the proceeds from this transaction. In addition to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, prior to completing the transaction, Freeport Cobalt is required to be segregated into two separate businesses.