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The number of natural gas-fired combined cycle power generating units.

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Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of obligations due all related parties. For classified balance sheets, represents the current portion of such liabilities (due within one year or within the normal operating cycle if longer).

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS: (Details) $ in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2010 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 item MW	Dec. 31, 2005 item	Dec. 31, 2014 item	Mar. 31, 2012 MXN ($)	Mar. 31, 2012 USD ($)
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			$ 101.5	$ 26.1	$ 23.4
Related parties payable:			75.3	90.1
Grupo Mexico and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases			380.5	474.6	398.9
Total sales			150.3	197.6	134.7
Asarco LLC
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			74.4	4.1
Related parties payable:			4.1	24.2
Total purchases			37.2	37.2	30.3
Total sales			81.8	96.2	37.1
Americas Mining Corporation ("AMC")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			11.0
AMMINCO
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			0.2
Related parties payable:			8.0
Total purchases			8.0
Total sales			0.3
Compania Perforadora Mexico, S.A.P.I. de C.V. and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			1.4	1.4
Total purchases					0.3
Total sales				0.2	0.6
Eolica El Retiro, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:			1.0	0.8
Total purchases			$ 3.6	$ 3.3	2.0
Number of wind turbines \| item								37
Percentage of supply to third-party energy users			18.00%	27.00%
Ferrocarril Mexicano, S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			$ 0.1
Related parties payable:			6.4	$ 2.6
Total purchases			41.7	43.5	42.7
Grupo Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			2.7	2.8
Related parties payable:			0.6	0.7
Total purchases			10.1	14.0	13.8
Total sales				0.2	0.6
Donations			6.2
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			10.3	16.2
Related parties payable:			40.6	38.5
Total purchases			200.1	223.7	233.8
Total sales			68.2	101.0	95.9
Maximum amount of line of credit granted to related party	$ 350.0
Interest rate (as a percent)	4.40%
Loan repaid		$ 150.0
Interest earned					4.2
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Number of power plants \| item						2	2
Number of natural gas-fired combined cycle power generating units \| item						2
Net total capacity (in megawatts) \| MW						516.2
Percentage of supply to third-party energy users						17.10%
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Minera Mexico \| Maximum
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage									0.001%	0.001%
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Controladora de Infraestructura Energetica Mexico, S. A. de C. V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Percentage of interest acquired									99.999%	99.999%
Value of interest acquired									$ 1,928.6	$ 150.0
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Controladora de Infraestructura Energetica Mexico, S. A. de C. V. \| Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Percentage of interest acquired						99.999%
Mexico Proyectos y Desarrollos, S.A. de C.V. and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			0.6	1.1
Related parties payable:			14.4	21.7
Total purchases			79.8	152.9	76.0
Total sales					0.4
Operadora de Generadoras de Energia Mexico S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total sales					0.1
Related to the controlling group
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases			12.9	1.7	2.9
Total sales			1.5	0.7	0.5
Boutique Bowling de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			0.3	0.2
Related parties payable:			0.1	0.6
Total purchases			0.3	0.3	0.4
Total sales			0.2	0.2	0.2
Mexico Transportes Aereos, S.A. de C.V. ("Mextransport")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			0.1
Related parties payable:				0.3
Total purchases			12.4	1.3	2.0
Total sales			1.2	0.3	0.2
Operadora de Cinemas S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:			0.4	0.3
Related parties payable:			0.1	0.7
Total purchases			0.2	0.1	0.5
Total sales			$ 0.1	0.2	0.1
Related to SCC executive officers
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				$ 0.2	$ 2.0
Equity investment in affiliate
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage			44.20%