Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX), operator of the Tenke Fungurume mining project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced today it is funding approximately $1 million for the purchase of state-of-the-art medical imaging equipment for the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa, DRC. The gift provides the hospital with the most advanced technology for diagnosing and treating serious illness and injury, providing access to better quality health care for the Congolese people.

The donation will fund the purchase of a 64-slice CT scanner, the first of its kind in the DRC, and will improve medical care for victims of motor vehicle accidents and patients suffering from strokes and other life-threatening conditions. The gift will also fund the purchase of a mammography unit, a mobile image intensifier TV system, a hand-held ultrasound machine and a mobile X-Ray machine, as well as providing for professional training for Mutombo Hospital doctors.

The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital is a modern health facility located in Masina, one of the most densely populated areas of Kinshasa. The hospital was built with the leadership and personal contributions of Dikembe Mutombo, the highly honored and respected NBA basketball player, in memory of his mother because of his desire to provide quality health care to a population with limited access to care. The hospital receives funding from the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for the people of the DRC. The state-of-the-art Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital is the first of its kind built in the DRC in almost 40 years.

Through its subsidiary Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), FCX is committed to initiatives to improve public health, education, and social programs in the community. TFM's social and community development programs continue to expand, including development of local micro-enterprise businesses, agricultural capacity-building initiatives, malaria abatement programs, additional potable water wells, new medical facilities and several new schools. Information about these programs is available on the company web site, www.fcx.com.

Richard C. Adkerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of FCX, said: "This contribution is a part of our broader investment in the DRC and reflects our commitment to improve living conditions and public health in the communities in which we operate. We are pleased to partner with the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to expand medical care available to the Congolese people. Our $2 billion Tenke Fungurume project in the DRC, the largest private investment in the country, will continue to provide significant benefits to the government of the DRC and to the Congolese people for decades to come."

Mr. Mutombo said: "We are extremely grateful to FCX for this generous gift which will benefit the people of Kinshasa and throughout the country, including low-income patients that the hospital has been serving since it opened its doors in 2007. Furthermore, the donation to fund the purchase of this advanced technology will provide a cost-effective alternative for the patients who, in the past, have had to travel outside the country to seek care. FCX and its Tenke Fungurume Mining operation in the DRC are demonstrating through this gift and their ongoing health, education and economic programs in the DRC, that their presence here is an important investment in our future."

Founded in 1997, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is dedicated to improving the health, education and quality of life for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Foundation strives to accomplish this goal not only by providing comprehensive health care at the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, but also through an emphasis on primary health care and disease prevention, the promotion of health policy, health research and increased access to health care education for the people of the Congo. Additional information about the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation is available on their web site, www.dmf.org.

FCX is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. FCX operates large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. FCX has a dynamic portfolio of operating, expansion and growth projects in the copper industry and is the world's largest producer of molybdenum.

The company's portfolio of assets includes the Grasberg mining complex, the world's largest copper and gold mine in terms of recoverable reserves, significant mining operations in the Americas, including the large scale Morenci and Safford minerals districts in North America and the Cerro Verde and El Abra operations in South America, and the Tenke Fungurume minerals district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Additional information about FCX is available on its web site www.fcx.com.

On the web: Freeport-McMoran | Dikembe Mutombo Foundation