Said Richard Adkerson, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, who participated in the central event of Heading to PERUMIN.

Richard Adkerson, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, main shareholder of the Cerro Verde mine in Peru, participated in Heading to PERUMIN-Bicentennial Edition; where he highlighted that one of the company's objectives is to continue being a significant economic engine for the country of Peru.

"We want to continue contributing to the progress of Peru; in addition to continuing to be a responsible copper producer," said Richard Adkerson, during his participation in the "Long-term mining policy" block of the aforementioned mining event.

During his presentation, the CEO explained that Cerro Verde also seeks to generate business opportunities for local suppliers of products and services for mining operations.

"We are interested in giving preference to Peruvian companies to become our suppliers," he emphasized.

Regarding its economic impact for Peru, Richard Adkerson noted that through the Cerro Verde mine they have contributed USD 2 billion to Arequipa's GDP and 1.7% of Peru's GDP.

"Our annual direct and indirect economic impact in Peru is USD 3.5 billion," said the senior executive.

Vision for Copper

Regarding the future of copper, the executive director commented that the demand for this red metal is driven by world growth and, although China has played an important role in recent years, growth is currently happening outside the Asian country.

“At Freeport-McMoRan we are very optimistic about the future of copper, not only for our company and industry but also for the countries where we operate. In that sense, it is a huge opportunity for Peru".

He added that future investment in copper will be aimed at reducing carbon emissions. "For this reason, 6 of our operations have the "Copper Mark" certification; although we are working at all our operations being registered in this way", he said.

In his participation, Richard Adkerson also highlighted the recent meeting he had in Washington, along with other executives, with the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, to whom he expressed his interest in working together for the development of the country, from the mining sector.

Richard Adkerson is also President of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), an international organization dedicated to promoting a safe, fair and sustainable mining and metals industry. Its members strengthen the sector’s environmental and social performance, catalyzing change and improving mining’s contribution to society.