* CEO does not expect conflict to derail copper demand

* Calls for Washington to better support mining

* No obvious candidate for acquisition

* Chile seen as 'exciting' investment area

By Ernest Scheyder

HOUSTON, March 23 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan ( FCX )

expects demand for copper for use in electrification, data

centers and other high-tech areas to remain resilient despite

market jitters tied to the Iran conflict, CEO Kathleen Quirk

told Reuters on Monday.

Copper, one of the best electricity-conducting metals, is

used worldwide in motors, computers, batteries and wiring and is

nicknamed "Dr. Copper" because demand for it is a barometer of

global economic health. The artificial intelligence industry,

especially, is gobbling up more copper supplies for computer

servers and related facilities.

Prices for the red metal, though, have dropped

nearly 10% since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in

late February.

Quirk, who became CEO of the Phoenix-based company in 2024,

said that while the copper market has been rattled by the

conflict, she expects global appetite for the metal to grow.

"The market is pricing in some uncertainty about global

economic growth, and Dr. Copper is something that affects the

perception of global risk," Quirk said on the sidelines of the

CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston. "But the things

that are driving copper demand are more secular in nature."

Freeport hosted customers at its headquarters earlier this

month and the conversations were dominated by the tech sector's

needs for the red metal, Quirk said.

"I don't think that's going to get derailed," she said.

The world's largest publicly traded copper company produced

1.3 billion pounds (589,670 metric tons) of copper in the U.S.

last year - all of which was sold domestically - and 3.38

billion pounds (1,533,142 metric tons) globally.

SEEKING MORE U.S. SUPPORT

In the U.S., Quirk said that Freeport is encouraging the

federal government to do more to support the copper industry,

adding that "some kind of economic incentive would be important

to incentivize companies to invest in the U.S. versus

opportunities internationally."

President Donald Trump last July imposed a 50% tariff on

semi-finished copper products, but left out copper input

materials such as ores, concentrates, and cathodes that Freeport

produces. The Trump administration has hinted it may revisit its

tariff decision later this year.

Quirk said that Freeport would be open to an acquisition if

the right opportunity presented itself, but that the company

would focus on its internal growth opportunities, including its

work to leach copper from waste rock.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, which Freeport left in

2016 and has said it would like to re-enter, Quirk said she has

yet to find an appealing target.

"We're open to the idea, but there's not any obvious

development opportunity for us to go back," Quirk said.

In Chile, Freeport last week filed an environmental

application for a $7.5 billion expansion of its El Abra copper

mine. The move came just days after Chile inaugurated

right-leaning President Jose Antonio Kast.

"What's exciting in Chile is that there is a real desire by

the government to encourage investment," Quirk said. "The new

president coming in is going to want to advance investment even

more."