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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS: (Details) MXN in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2010 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($) item MW	Dec. 31, 2005 item	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Aug. 04, 2014 item	Mar. 31, 2012 MXN	Mar. 31, 2012 USD ($)
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		$ 28.3		$ 28.3				$ 15.8
Related parties receivable non-current:		74.8		74.8				111.2
Related parties payable:		75.2		75.2				69.3
Asarco LLC
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		6.1		6.1
Related parties payable:		34.5		34.5				20.6
Total purchases				14.8	$ 14.7
Total sales				34.6	71.1
Compania Perforadora Mexico S.A.P.I. de C.V. and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		1.2		1.2				0.7
Total purchases					0.3
Total sales				0.4	0.2
Eolica El Retiro, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:		0.2		0.2				0.1
Total purchases				$ 1.0	4.8
Percentage of supply to third-party energy users				11.00%
Number of wind turbines \| item									37
Ferrocarril Mexicano, S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:								0.2
Related parties payable:		0.1		$ 0.1
Total purchases				21.0	8.2
Grupo Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		4.7		4.7				0.6
Related parties payable:		0.8		0.8				12.0
Total purchases				6.9	6.9
Total sales				0.3
Mexico Generadora de Energia S. de R.L. ("MGE")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		14.9		14.9				13.9
Related parties receivable non-current:		74.8		74.8		$ 184.0		111.2
Related parties payable:		30.8		30.8				23.0
Total purchases				108.7	62.9
Total sales				50.1	39.0
Maximum amount of line of credit granted to related party	$ 350.0
Interest rate (as a percent)	4.40%					5.75%
Loan repaid		36.4	$ 150.0
Interest earned				3.1	4.7
Percentage of supply to third-party energy users						12.00%
Mexico Generadora de Energia S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Number of power plants \| item						2	2
Net total capacity (in megawatts) \| MW						516.2
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										MXN 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 Generadora de Energia S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Minera Mexico \| Maximum
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage										0.001%	0.001%
Mexico Proyectos y Desarrollos, S.A. de C.V. and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		1.2		1.2				0.3
Related parties payable:		7.5		7.5				11.8
Total purchases				42.8	18.6
Total sales				0.3	0.4
Boutique Bowling de Mexico S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:								0.2
Total purchases				0.2
Total sales				0.1
Mexico Transportes Aereos S.A. de C.V. ("Mextransport")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:		0.5		0.5				0.5
Total purchases				1.0	0.1
Total sales				0.2	0.1
Operadora de Generadoras de Energia Mexico S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.1		0.1				0.1
Operadora de Cinemas S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.1		0.1
Related parties payable:		0.3		0.3				0.2
Total purchases				0.3
Breaker, S.A. de C.V and affiliates ("Breaker")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:		0.3		0.3				0.3
Total purchases				0.4	0.5
Higher Technology S.A.C.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:		$ 0.2		0.2
Total purchases				0.6	0.8
Sempertrans and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:								$ 0.6
Total purchases					0.3
Pigoba S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				0.1
Servicios y Fabricaciones Mecanicas S.A.C.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				$ 0.2	0.4
Equity investment in affiliate
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage		44.20%		44.20%
Grupo Mexico and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				$ 195.2	116.4
Total sales				85.7	110.7
Companies with relationship to SCC executive officers' families
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				1.3	2.0
Companies with relationship to the controlling group
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases				1.5	0.1
Total sales				$ 0.3	$ 0.1