Mining giant Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. plans to transfer about 100 employees from Safford to a newly acquired facility in Tucson.
The Phoenix-based company recently bought the former American Airlines reservation center at 3350 E. Valencia Road for $5.1 million in cash, Pima County Recorder's Office records show.
"We are moving a portion of our mining, process and environmental technology activities along with administrative functions from Safford, Arizona, to the recently purchased property," Eric Kinneberg, a spokesman for Freeport, said via email.
He said "construction activities" are scheduled to begin early next year with employees moving in the third quarter.
Move unrelated to new law
Kinneberg said the move is not related to new legislation that gives the company the right to store water in Tucson.
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In May, Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law to allow Freeport to recharge and store Central Arizona Project water underground in the Tucson area without affecting its right to pump other groundwater.
Under provisions of the law, Freeport would become a water broker and be allowed to sell CAP water across county lines, but still pump groundwater for its Sierrita mine near Green Valley.
Before, if a company pumped out CAP water, it had to reduce by a similar amount the groundwater that it pumped.
Freeport rebounding
Freeport's new facility, near Tucson International Airport, was operated by American Airlines as a reservation center beginning in 1991. It closed earlier this year.
Freeport, along with other mining companies, has been rebounding from the economic plunge. The company laid off about 1,500 workers in 2008 and 2009 in response to a steep drop in copper prices.
In 2010, Freeport began hiring again. It has more than 5,000 employees in Southern Arizona, making it the region's 11th-largest employer, according to the Star 200 survey. In Pima County, Freeport has about 1,400 employees in Green Valley, Sahuarita and Oro Valley. Its mines include the Sierrita Mine near Green Valley, and mines at Morenci, Miami and Safford.
Freeport bought the Phelps Dodge Mining Corp. in 2007.
Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@azstarnet.com or 573-4232.