Shortage of good copper projects?
Freeport's risky energy plan highlights copper woes
https://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/content/en/mineweb-mining-finance-investment-old?oid=165478&sn=Detail
But experts sayFreeport may have had few alternatives: there simply are not many known "Tier 1" copper assets left to gobble up, particularly in accessible locations.
"We are seeing the quality of available copper asset out there in the market declining and what assets that are out there, a lot of them are saddled with one problem or another," saidAlex Terentiew, a mining analyst with Raymond James.