Denver — Despite lower-than-anticipated metal prices,
The Louisiana-based major, which produces copper and gold at the giant Grasberg mine in Indonesia, was disappointed by realized prices of US76 per lb. and US$288.10 per oz., respectively. However, higher grades and better recovery rates resulted in a considerable improvement over year-ago earnings of US$9.2 million (6 per share).
Copper grades improved 20% between the two periods to 1.13%, while gold grades jumped 70% to 1.68 grams per tonne, and recovery increased to 89.1% and 87.8%, respectively.
Grasberg produced 434,900 tonnes copper, 946,000 oz. gold and 1.2 million oz. silver during the first three months of 2001. Throughput averaged 229,600 tonnes per day. Freeport’s share of production, through its operating subsidiary, P.T. Freeport-Indonesia (PT-FI), amounted to 377,100 tonnes copper and 730,900 oz. gold, net of
PT-FI’s sales volumes reached 333,400 tonnes copper and 644,700 oz. gold, compared with 305,900 tonnes copper and 444,200 oz. gold in the first quarter of 2000. Volumes would have been even higher were it not for weather-related delays in shipping concentrates. At the end of the first quarter, PT-FI had 198.5 million lbs. copper that were not fully priced; this amount will be included in the second quarter report. Sales for the second quarter are expect to reach 385 million lbs. copper and 700,000 oz. gold.
The surge in gold production pushed down cash operating costs, including gold and silver credits, to US3 per lb., which is the company’s second-best quarterly performance on record. By comparison, cash operating costs in the first quarter of 2000 were US24 per lb. Costs in the recent quarter also benefited from higher sales volumes and weaker foreign currencies.
Grasberg generated US$105.5 million in first-quarter cash flow for Freeport, despite a 5% drop in revenue. Capital expenditures were US$39.3 million.
At the Grasberg site, Freeport is exploring the Guru surface diorite, which is envisioned as an open-pit mine. Seven rigs are drilling (five at surface and two underground) in an attempt to delineate the size and shape of the deposit.
Also, delineation drilling is under way at Ertsberg, an undergound stockwork zone, and drilling underneath the Grasberg pit is helping to define the extent of mineralization.
Farther afield, in Spain, concentrate throughput at Freeport’s wholly owned Huelva smelter decreased 16% from the first quarter of 2000, owing to changes in maintenance schedules. The lower production levels pushed cathode production costs up to US15 per lb.
Production from Freeport’s 25%-owned Gresik smelter in Indonesia was slightly above capacity of 200,000 tonnes per day of concentrate, resulting in a 37% increase from a year ago.
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