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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS: (Details) $ in Millions		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS: (Details) $ in Millions	Aug. 04, 2014 item	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 item MW	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		$ 22.3			$ 101.5
Related parties receivable non-current:		60.0
Related parties payable:		77.5			75.3
Total purchases		1.5	$ 1.4
Total sales		1.7	1.5
Grupo Mexico and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases		288.2	286.2
Total sales		44.0	135.1
Asarco LLC
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		9.0			74.4
Related parties receivable non-current:		60.0
Related parties payable:		15.0			4.1
Total purchases		32.2	30.0
Total sales		10.6	82.8
Accounts Payable		62.0
Making quarterly payments		0.5
Asarco LLC \| Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Due from related parties, non-current		60.0
Asarco LLC \| Other Current Assets [Member]
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		$ 2.0
Asarco LLC \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate		2.00%
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage		4.08513%
AMMINCO
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		$ 0.1			0.2
Related parties payable:		4.0			8.0
Total purchases		6.4
AMC
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:					11.0
Compania Perforadora Mexico, S.A.P.I. de C.V. and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.4			1.4
Eolica El Retiro, S.A.P.I. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties payable:		0.3			1.0
Total purchases		2.9	2.2
Number of wind turbines \| item	37
Percentage of supply to third-party energy users	25.40%
Ferrocarril Mexicano, S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:					0.1
Related parties payable:		4.8			6.4
Total purchases		35.1	33.0
Total sales		0.1
Grupo Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		2.7			2.7
Related parties payable:		0.2			0.6
Total purchases		7.9	13.5
Donations		8.9
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		9.1			10.3
Related parties payable:		34.9			40.6
Total purchases		147.3	144.4
Total sales		33.3	$ 52.3
Mexico Generadora de Energia, S. de R.L. ("MGE") \| Mexico
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
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			22.00%	6.20%
Mexico Proyectos y Desarrollos, S.A. de C.V. and affiliates ("MPD")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.5			0.6
Related parties payable:		18.0			14.4
Mexico Proyectos y Desarrollos SA de CV and affiliates
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total purchases		$ 56.4	$ 63.1
Apu Coropuna S.R.L.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage		30.00%
Boutique Bowling de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		$ 0.1			0.3
Related parties payable:		0.2			0.1
Total purchases		0.3	0.2
Total sales		0.1	0.2
Empresarios Industriales de Mexico, S.A. de C.V
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Total sales		0.2
Mexico Transportes Aereos, S.A. de C.V. ("Mextransport")
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.3			0.1
Total purchases		1.1	1.1
Total sales		1.3	1.2
Operadora de Cinemas S.A. de C.V.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Related parties receivable current:		0.1			0.4
Related parties payable:		0.1			$ 0.1
Total purchases		0.1	0.1
Total sales		$ 0.1	$ 0.1
Equity investment in affiliate
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:
Ownership percentage		44.20%