... Corporation's ratings are supported by its position as one of the world's lowest cash-cost producers of copper -- due to its diversified mining assets in Peru and Mexico -- and its strong profitability while historically maintaining a very conservative leverage profile. SCC had an industry-leading operating cash cost of USD0.95/pound of copper production in third-quarter 2016, including by-products such as molybdenum, zinc, gold and silver, and USD1.49/pound excluding by-products. Industry-Leading Reserves: SCC's ratings are supported by its substantial copper reserves -- 70.1 million metric tons of contained copper -- that equate to over 94 years of mine life at current production rates. This ranks SCC first among globally listed companies and significantly higher than companies with the next highest mine life, Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile (56.7 years) and Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (36.6 years). Management intends to nearly double...
