The Trouble with Copper
Copper is groaning under the weight of expectation and demand is expected to far outstrip supply, according to IMDEX chief geoscientist Dr Dave Lawie. Dr Copper, as the mining industry calls it, is typically a barometer of industrial growth. But the challenge the world faces is the lack of new mines under development to make up the supply shortfall in order to meet decarbonisation targets, the EV market, power transmission networks and other industrial uses. “The issue that remains widely unappreciated outside the mining and associated sectors is the extent to which big copper resources are hard to find, and difficult to mine when they are discovered – and the long lag between exploration and production,” Dr Lawie said. “We...
