Cerro Verde: a copper operation in Peru
Cerro Verde is an open-pit mine producing copper in Arequipa region, Peru, operated by Freeport-McMoRan. The sources report 863 million lb recoverable copper (concentrate + SX/EW cathode) for CY2025; the basis is 100% of mine (consolidated by FCX). In copper content, whole-operation output for CY2025 is about 391,450 tonnes (derived here, not printed by the source): about 1.7% of world copper output in 2025 and about 14% of Peru's; it is one of 11 operations on this site whose output can be stated in copper content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Freeport-McMoRan | 55.08% | 31 December 2025 |
| SMM Cerro Verde Netherlands B.V. | 21% | 31 December 2025 |
| Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. | 19.58% | 31 December 2025 |
| Other shareholders (Lima Stock Exchange) | 4.34% | 31 December 2025 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CY2025 | 863 million lb recoverable copper (concentrate + SX/EW cathode) | 100% of mine (consolidated by FCX) | Item 2, 'MINING PRODUCTION AND SALES DATA' table, Cerro Verde (55.08%), p.34; text p.20 · Freeport-McMoRan Inc. |
| CY2024 | 949 million lb recoverable copper | 100% of mine (consolidated by FCX) | MINING PRODUCTION AND SALES DATA table, p.34 · Freeport-McMoRan Inc. |
How the copper-content figure is worked out. Freeport-McMoRan reports 863 million pounds of recoverable copper for the whole mine. At 453.592 tonnes per million pounds that is about 391,450 tonnes. World mine production of copper in 2025 was 23,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); Peru produced 2,700,000 tonnes.
Status: operating, as of February 2026.
How does it compare?
Other copper operations on this site: Escondida, Antamina, Morenci, Grasberg, Kamoa-Kakula, Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), Oyu Tolgoi, Las Bambas, Buenavista del Cobre, Toquepala. In Peru: Antamina, Las Bambas, Toquepala. See where copper comes from for the country totals, the country page for Peru, and Freeport-McMoRan for its other operations here.
Sources
- Freeport-McMoRan Inc.: Form 10-K for the year ended 31 December 2025 (annual report (SEC 10-K), CY2025 (with 2024, 2023)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: pp.1, 3 (summary); 12-13 (Morenci); 19-20 (Cerro Verde); 22-24 (Indonesia, Grasberg, mud rush); 34 (Mining Production and Sales Data).
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Copper (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in copper content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every copper mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.