(Adds comments on Indonesia, copper market outlook)
HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Feb 26 (Reuters) - Several parties are interested in buying Freeport-McMoRan Inc's FCX.N cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo but not at a price that would interest the miner and so it is not planning a sale, Freeport's chief executive said.
As a result, Freeport is looking at other options for the asset, including possibly a joint venture to develop the large cobalt project, CEO Richard Adkerson said.
Speaking at a mining conference in Florida, Adkerson also said discussions between Freeport's joint venture partner at its Grasberg mine in Indonesia, Rio Tinto Plc RIO.L , and the Indonesian government about a purchase of Rio's stake are expected to occur "in the very near term."
Freeport would not be involved in those discussions, he said.
The Indonesian government was doing a lot of work to prepare itself for negotiations with Rio, Adkerson said, including hiring technical experts and doing site visits.
On the outlook for the copper market, Adkerson said a global copper deficit was inevitable in the future due to underinvestment in new production combined with strong global growth. Freeport is the world's biggest publicly traded copper miner.