Why Copper?

Copper is an essential metal used in our everyday lives and the third most used metal in the world, but its importance is growing, with demand for copper expected to double by 2035. The Energy Transition away from fossil fuels to greener and cleaner sources of energy will require huge amounts of copper for renewable power generation technologies, electric motors, batteries and associated charging infrastructure. Declining grades at existing mines, combined with a lack of new discoveries and lengthy development timelines for new mines, means copper supply is unlikely to keep pace with demand and many mining industry commentators forecast deficits in the copper market.

But don’t just take our word for it, here are the thoughts of some of the leading voices within the mining industry:

• BHP CEO, Mike Henry, "The world is going to need two times more copper in the next 30 years than the last 30 years"
• Rio Tinto Chairman, Dominic Barton, "Were making a push on the copper front we'd like to have more of that in our portfolio"
• Ivanhoe Mines' Executive Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland "Over the next 26 years the world is going to mine more copper than what has been mined in all history"
• Barrick Gold president and CEO, Mark Bristow  "Copper is the 'most strategic' out of all the metals"
• Freeport-McMoRan Chairman and CEO, Richard Adkerson, "Start to finish for a known copper resource in terms of development takes 5-10 years, …and that causes supply delays"
• Jeff Currie head of Global Commodities, Goldman Sachs "We stand by the view that copper is the single best position over the next year, because copper is the new oil"

• Glencore CEO, Gary Nagle, on copper supply “Whatever was planned to be built has been built… There is nothing coming behind the projects now ramping up into production”

• Newmont CEO, Tom Palmer, “We see copper as a critical mineral and we’ll be doing everything we can to encourage governments to ensure copper is included in the critical minerals policies they're setting and in terms of the incentives to bring on copper, it is an absolutely essential mineral for the energy transition.”

Latest Videos on the Market for Copper

CNBC Television’s interview with Goldman Sachs’ head of Global Commodities, Jeff Currie

CNBC Television’s interview with BHP CEO, Mike Henry

CNBC Television’s interview with Barrick Gold president and CEO, Mark Bristow

CNBC Television’s interview with Sandfire Resources CEO, Brendan Harris

Bloomberg Television’s interview with Rio Tinto Chairman, Dominic Barton

Wall Street Journal - Why Copper Is Now One of the World's Most In-Demand Metals

Bloomberg Television’s interview with Ivanhoe Mines' Executive Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland

CNBC Television’s interview with Freeport-McMoRan Chairman and CEO, Richard Adkerson

Investing News’ interview with Exploration Insights Analyst, Joe Mazumdar

ABC News' interview with Newmont CEO, Tom Palmer

Please be aware that clicking on any of these links will take you to YouTube, a third-party website.