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Tag: copper

  • Copper records biggest annual gain since 2009 on supply bets | Fortune

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    Copper had its best year since 2009, fueled by near-term supply tightness and bets that demand for the metal key in electrification will outpace production. 

    The red metal has notched a series of all-time highs in an end-of-year surge, rallying 42% on the London Metal Exchange this year. That makes it the best performer of the six industrial metals on the bourse. Prices dipped 1.1% Wednesday, the last trading day of 2025.

    The latest gains also have been driven by traders rushing to ship copper to the US in anticipation of potential tariffs, creating tightness elsewhere. Trump’s plan to revisit the question of tariffs on primary copper in 2026 revived the arbitrage trade that rocked the market earlier in the year, tightening availability elsewhere even as underlying demand in key buyer China has softened. That price spread narrowed recently amid a power December rally on the LME.

    “The expectation for future US import tariffs on refined copper has resulted in more than 650,000 tons of metal entering the country, creating tightness ex-US,” wrote Natalie Scott-Gray, senior metals analyst at StoneX Financial Ltd. She noted two-thirds of global visible stocks now are held within COMEX.

    Beyond the tariff-driven flows, a deadly accident at the world’s second-largest copper mine in Indonesia, an underground flood in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a fatal rock blast at a mine in Chile have all added more strain to availability of the metal.

    The near-term outlook for copper demand growth has been clouded by weakness in China, the world’s top consumer of the red metal. The country’s property market has been stuck in a yearslong downturn that’s dented the need for copper plumbing and wiring, while consumer spending has been sluggish, weighing on appetite for finished goods such as electronic appliances.

    Still, robust momentum in global copper demand is expected over the long term. BloombergNEF estimates consumption could increase by more than a third by 2035 in its baseline scenario.

    The drivers of this trend include the ongoing shift to cleaner energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, growing adoption of electric vehicles and the expansion of power grids.

    Copper settled 1.1% lower at $12,558.50 a ton in London. Prices hit a record $12,960 on Monday. 

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    Bloomberg

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  • Trump backs huge Arizona copper mine as Apache win late reprieve to halt it

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    President Trump this week threw his full support behind a massive project to turn a sacred Apache site outside Phoenix into one of the world’s largest copper mines, meeting with mining executives at the White House and ridiculing a recent court decision that temporarily halted the transfer of federal lands to their companies.

    Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met in the White House on Tuesday with several executives from Rio Tinto and BHP, the two multinational mining companies behind the planned Resolution Copper mine. As proposed, the mine would turn Oak Flat — a long-preserved site of rocky outcroppings and desert waterways on the edge of the Tonto National Forest — into a nearly two-mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep industrial crater.

    Trump also posted about the project on his Truth Social site, calling the three-judge U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel that blocked the transfer a “Radical Left Court” and saying it was “sad” that “Radical Left Activists” could stall such a project.

    “3,800 Jobs are affected, and our Country, quite simply, needs Copper — AND NOW!” Trump wrote.

    He also wrote, without evidence, that those fighting the mine are “Anti-American” and working on behalf of “other Copper competitive Countries.”

    The San Carlos Apache Tribe, which is among the plaintiffs suing to block the mine, called the court’s decision a “last minute victory” in its ongoing battle to save the land.

    “The Apache people will never stop fighting for Chí’chil Biłdagoteel,” tribe Chairman Terry Rambler said in a statement, using the traditional Apache name for Oak Flat. “We thank the court for stopping this horrific land exchange and allowing us to argue the merits of our pending lawsuit in court.”

    Trump’s decision to directly weigh in further elevates the already large profile of a monumental legal battle. It has aligned environmental activists and religious liberty proponents, and has major implications for the nation’s ability to meet its rapidly growing demand for copper, which is an essential element in telecommunications networks, electric vehicles and other growing technologies.

    Oak Flat was federally protected land for decades. Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe describe it as sacred land home to spiritual guardians akin to angels, and say it has been used for coming-of-age and other tribal ceremonies for generations.

    In 2004, prospectors discovered that one of the world’s largest copper ore deposits, estimated to hold enough copper to supply up to a quarter of U.S. demand, sat somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 feet below the surface.

    The battle to extract the deposit has raged ever since, but particularly since 2014, when former Arizona Republican Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake inserted language mandating the land transfer into a last-minute defense appropriations bill.

    A lawsuit brought by the group Apache Stronghold and led by Apache elder Wendsler Nosie Sr. resulted in a split 9th Circuit ruling against the Apache and in favor of the mining companies in March 2024.

    In May, the Supreme Court declined to hear an Apache appeal of that decision, clearing the way for the U.S. Forest Service to issue a final environmental impact report and hear a last round of public comment before handing the land over to Resolution Copper.

    The decision marked a major loss to the mine opponents, but it did not end other lawsuits filed to stop it — including one filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and another by a group called the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition.

    On Aug. 15, a district court judge in Arizona issued an order clearing the way for the land transfer to move forward on Tuesday.

    The groups appealed, and the three-judge 9th Circuit panel put the district court decision on hold Monday, pending its own hearing of arguments over the transfer — one of which is that the federal government bypassed a required step in the environmental review process.

    The panel — composed of two Clinton appointees and one Trump appointee — said it was not taking a position on the merits of those arguments, and would “expedite” the case, with all briefs due by Oct. 14.

    The court’s reprieve, if only temporary, was cheered by Apache groups and other organizations whose members use the Oak Flat land for rock climbing and other recreation. Some also spoke out against Trump’s remarks, calling them anti-American.

    Rambler, the San Carlos tribe chairman, said the mine’s opponents “are working to save the U.S. from making a disastrous decision that would give up American resources to foreign interests,” and that Trump had been “misinformed” to think otherwise by the mine’s supporters.

    Rambler said BHP and Rio Tinto are foreign companies with ties to Chinese state-owned companies, and will be exporting the copper taken from Oak Flat — “likely to China.”

    Rambler said he looks forward “to sitting down with the administration and providing factual information to protect American assets.”

    Nosie, in a statement provided to the The Times, also accused Trump of siding with foreign interests over those of indigenous Americans.

    “Our nation cannot survive if we sacrifice what is sacred in pursuit of temporary profits,” he said.

    Wendsler Nosie Sr., a longtime opponent of the proposed Resolution Copper mine, gathers with other opponents to the mine at Oak Flat in 2023.

    (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

    He said the Apache people are grateful for all of the support they have received from people of all political stripes and religious backgrounds, who he said have recognized the fight for what it is — a “moral one.”

    “If we destroy our sacred land and poison our environment, we are betraying our children and grandchildren and hurting ourselves,” he said. “The future of the entire human race is at stake.”

    A Resolution Copper spokesperson said they are confident the 9th Circuit will “ultimately affirm” the district court’s “well-reasoned” ruling in favor of the land transfer.

    “Over the past 11 years, the Resolution Copper project has undergone a rigorous, independent review under the National Environmental Policy Act, led by the U.S. Forest Service. This review has included extensive consultation with numerous Native American Tribes with ancestral ties to this land, local communities, civil society organizations, and a dozen federal, state, and county agencies,” the spokesperson said. “The collaborative process has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on Tribal, social, environmental, and cultural interests.”

    The spokesperson said the project has other local support and “the potential to become one of America’s biggest copper mines, contributing $1 billion annually to Arizona’s economy and creating thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century.”

    Tuesday’s meeting at the White House included Trump and Burgum, as well as current Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm, incoming Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott and BHP chief executive Mike Henry, as well as other White House officials.

    The Resolution Copper spokesperson said the discussion centered on “the mining industry’s capacity to deliver long-term domestic supplies of copper and other critical minerals” from the Oak Flat deposit.

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    Kevin Rector

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  • $25,000 reward offered for information on stolen bronze plaques honoring L.A. teachers

    $25,000 reward offered for information on stolen bronze plaques honoring L.A. teachers

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    When Vandana Kumar’s family visited her in Los Angeles, they always stopped at a bronze plaque embedded in a Woodland Hills sidewalk that honored her 25 years as a science teacher at Canoga Park High School.

    Her family posed for photos with the plaque, which was installed in 2018, as if it were a part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And then, within the last few weeks, it was ripped out — most likely by someone seeking to sell it for scrap metal, officials said.

    “It bothered me — I won’t lie,” Kumar, 60, said of the theft.

    She is one of 11 teachers whose honorary plaques have been ripped from a Victory Boulevard sidewalk in Woodland Hills over the last month. Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield announced a $25,000 reward this week for information leading to an arrest in the thefts.

    “It’s not about my plaque,” Kumar said. “It’s about somebody having the audacity” to steal something built to honor teachers, she said.

    Kumar attends a ceremony dedicating her plaque in 2018.

    (Nupur Kumar)

    Blumenfield’s office said in a statement Thursday that the theft “has created significant sidewalk damage, as well as the loss of these landmarks that are both financially valuable and meaningful to the surrounding community.”

    Multiple plaques are installed each year by the Walk of Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit organization that honors exceptional teachers in the Valley.

    Each plaque is worth about $4,000 and weighs about 40 pounds, Los Angeles Police Capt. Rodolfo Lopez said.

    Lopez said video captured someone stealing four plaques in one night, but the footage was too blurry for facial recognition technology to identify them. Seven more plaques disappeared over the next few weeks, and Lopez said the department believes the thefts are connected.

    Local metal scrap vendors have been alerted to the thefts and were told to contact police if someone came in to sell the plaques, Lopez said.

    The Los Angeles area has recently seen an increase in thefts of metal objects, including those made of copper and bronze, that can be sold for scrap.

    The 6th Street Viaduct’s famous lights recently went dark after thieves stole the bridge’s copper wiring. More than 100 plaque thefts have been reported from two cemeteries in Carson and Compton, and a bronze newsboy statue in MacArthur Park was stolen.

    Joseph Andrews, the founder of the Walk of Hearts Foundation, said in an email that the thefts from Woodland Hills “violated the community in many ways.” The person responsible has “stolen not just a bronze plaque,” he said, but “a piece of a teacher’s legacy.”

    In total, the stolen plaques were worth about $44,000, not including the cost of sidewalk repairs.

    Kumar retired last year from Canoga Park High and said the plaque was part of her legacy. As a Hindu, she will be cremated when she dies, she said, so the plaque was a physical reminder of who she was — so much so that she used to joke with her principal, “when you see flowers on my plaque, you’ll know I’m gone.”

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    Sandra McDonald

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  • Activist hedge fund Elliott bets $1 billion on British platinum producer

    Activist hedge fund Elliott bets $1 billion on British platinum producer

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    Elliott Investment Management has built a roughly $1 billion stake in Anglo American Plc, the UK-listed miner that’s received an unsolicited takeover approach from Australia’s BHP Group Ltd.

    The activist hedge fund led by Paul Singer has exposure to almost 33.6 million Anglo American shares via derivatives, according to a UK regulatory filing Friday that confirmed a report by Bloomberg News. The firm amassed the 2.5% holding over recent months, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. 

    The investment puts Elliott among Anglo American’s 10 biggest shareholders, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Anglo American shares jumped as much as 6.3% in London after Bloomberg News reported the stake. 

    Elliott also has a 0.07% short position in BHP, a separate filing shows. Representatives for Elliott and Anglo American declined to comment.

    Elliott’s presence in Anglo American’s stock emerges with the mining company the subject of takeover interest from BHP. The Australian miner has proposed an acquisition that values its smaller rival at £31.1 billion ($38.9 billion) and would create the world’s top copper producer. Bloomberg News reported BHP’s approach on Wednesday. Anglo American said the proposal significantly undervalues the company. 

    Singer’s firm is known for stepping in to beaten-down stocks and then pushing companies to take measures ranging from share buybacks to outright sales of the business. 

    “We like to see value-driven investors in the register,” said Giuseppe Bivona, chief investment officer at another activist, Bluebell Capital Partners, which built a stake in Anglo American in February. The company “is surely worth much more than BHP is offering.” 

    Anglo American has long been viewed as a potential target among the largest miners, particularly because it owns attractive South American copper operations at a time when most of the industry is eager to add reserves and production. 

    But suitors have been put off by its complicated structure and mix of other commodities, as well as its deep exposure to South Africa. In February, Anglo American reported a steep drop in profit and lowered its dividend on the back of falling demand for diamonds and platinum group metals — commodities that are unique to its portfolio.

    BHP has proposed an all-share deal in which Anglo would first spin off controlling stakes in South African platinum and iron ore companies to its shareholders.

    Shares in Anglo American closed 3.2% higher in London on Friday at 2,643.00 pence, giving it a market value of about £32.4 billion. The stock surged 16% Thursday after BHP’s approach. Even after this week’s rally, the stock is still down more than a third from its peak two years ago.

    Elliott took a sizable position in BHP in 2017 and pushed it to spin off certain oil assets. In 2021, the miner struck deals that extended its withdrawal from fossil fuels, including a sale of oil and gas operations to Woodside Petroleum Ltd.

    Singer’s firm has been involved with other metals companies as well. In 2022 Elliott held talks with Kinross Gold Corp. that resulted in the miner announcing a $300 million share buyback. And it’s the majority shareholder in Triple Flag Precious Metals Corp., which provides financing for mining companies. It’s also setting up a new venture, Hyperion, to invest in mining assets.

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    Crystal Tse, Dinesh Nair, Swetha Gopinath, Bloomberg

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  • New Study on Metals in Weed Vapes Presented by Researchers | High Times

    New Study on Metals in Weed Vapes Presented by Researchers | High Times

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    In a study published in ACS Omega last November, researchers discovered that both legal and illegal vape pen liquids contained metal nanoparticles, including copper, zinc, lead, nickel, chromium, and more.

    The study was funded by Health Canada and conducted by the National Research Council of Canada. Researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting that was held between March 17-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana, which included almost 12,000 presentations on a wide variety of different subjects.

    Andrew Waye, who’s in charge of the research program at the Health Canada Office of Cannabis Science and Surveillance, presented the results of the study at the meeting. “Cannabis vapes are newly regulated products in Canada, so we don’t yet have much scientific data about them,” Waye said in a press release. “This is an opportunity for us to look at some of the questions concerning the risks and unknowns of cannabis vapes.”

    Lighting a cigarette combines tobacco (the fuel) and oxygen to begin a combustion process that burns through the tobacco. The process of vaping doesn’t utilize a combustion process, and instead heats the liquid until it becomes an inhalable vapor. Between cigarettes and vaping, vaping is often seen as safer, but researchers cautioned this opinion due to the presence of metals that can still be present in the vapor that is inhaled.

    The study primarily focused on whether or not cannabis vapes in particular also contained nano-sized metals. Using 41 different cannabis vape liquids (20 of which were legal products, and 21 were illegal samples provided by the Ontario Provincial Police), researchers utilized mass spectrometry to find and analyze a variety of contaminants. 

    Researchers worked with Zuzana Gajdosechova, who works at the Metrology Research Centre of the National Research Council of Canada, to analyze the samples and determine if they contained any of 12 metals that can be viewed via electron microscopy. The press release explained that metals such as arsenic, mercury, and cadmium were present, but within acceptable limits. However, some illegal samples contained more lead than is legally permitted. “The presented data from legally purchased and illegal cannabis vape devices showed mass fractions of Pb above the currently established tolerance limits in several of the vape liquids analyzed, particularly in the illegal samples where Pb [lead] concentrations were up to 100 times higher than the limit,” the authors wrote. “Additionally, the measured mass fractions of toxic metals such as Cr [chromium], Cu [copper], Ni [nickel], and Co [cobalt], as well as the essential metals Zn [zinc] and Mn [manganese] that have known inhalation toxicity, add to the existing evidence that long-term vaping may carry risks to health.”

    The samples were taken from vapes that were less than six months old and had never been opened or used. “The evidence strongly suggests that metal contamination can come from the device when it’s produced, and not from the heating of the coils,” Gajdosechova said. “But depending on the quality of the device, the contamination may be increased by that heating.”

    The study showed that the most common heating elements usually include nichrome, copper-plated brass, and kanthal, while the metal components of atomizers (the wick and coil in a vape pen) are made from stainless steel and tin, and lead is used as a solder.

    This prompted researchers to reconsider testing procedures in Canada. “If contamination is happening when the device is assembled, you should be testing at that stage rather than earlier,” said Waye.

    Through single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the research team also found that metal particles were nano-sized. “Some nano-sized metal particles are highly reactive and potentially harmful,” said Gajdosechova.

    The next step would be to analyze how much of those harmful, nano-sized metals are transferred into the vapor. This could reveal even more about the potential harm of metals entering the lungs when inhaled. “Different types of cannabis products present different risks,” said Waye. “Our research doesn’t answer whether vaping is riskier than smoking, it just underlines that the risks may be different. Previously uncharacterized risks with cannabis vaping are still being identified.”

    Research conducted by New York’s Columbia University last year found that cannabis and tobacco consumers had higher percentages of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine compared to non-users of tobacco and cannabis. Scientists explained that long term exposure to lead and cadmium could lead to health issues such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cognitive impairments, or an increased risk of cancer. “We found overall associations between internal metal levels and exclusive marijuana use, highlighting the relevance of marijuana for metal exposure and the importance of follow-up studies to identify the long-term implications of these exposures,” researchers said in their conclusion. They also called for more research in order to assess the presence of other contaminants and health impacts to protect the general public.

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    Nicole Potter

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  • Thieves climbing cell towers to steal copper wire in Houston

    Thieves climbing cell towers to steal copper wire in Houston

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    HOUSTON – Stealing copper wire is not a new revelation in crime that can lead to lucrative returns for quick work.

    However, crooks are now climbing to new heights to make a quick buck – literally.

    All across SE Texas, specifically the Houston area, there’s been an uptick in criminals climbing cell towers to steal the copper that helps keep you connected with the world.

    “Most of them are climbing,” said Carey McGrew of South Texas Cellular Services, which builds and maintains cell phone towers. “It’s super dangerous. They’re free climbing. So, it’s like you’re putting your life at risk, climbing this to get not much at all. You know, you’d be better off going to get a job than you would putting your life at risk.”

    You might be wondering. Why climb the tower? That sounds like it’s really dangerous and difficult.

    Well, the answer isn’t all that hard to find.

    Criminals have their eyes set on thick telecommunication cables, called trunk, that carries the signal from the ground, up the tower and to the transmitters. This is a gold (or copper) mine for thieves. But to get it down, they need to cut it from the top.

    In one stop, they can get away with hundreds of feet of copper wire.

    It’s worth thousands in scrap value, but often thieves are paid pennies on the dollar.

    “I know that we had one, and he only got 180 bucks at the scrap yard,” McGrew said. “But, I mean, just depending on what they steal, they could get a couple thousand [or a] couple hundred. Just depends on what they’re stealing.”

    Some scrap yards know where all this wire is coming from and take advantage of knowing the criminals want cash now.

    “It is against the law for scrap yards to buy this wire without proper documentation detailing the ownership of the wire,” said Sgt. Bob Carson with the Houston Police Department’s Metal Theft Unit. “HPD will investigate any scrap yard suspected of breaking this law.”

    How Often Is This Happening?

    That’s a great question. And the answer is a lot.

    The Houston Police Department is investigating at least 20 cases of copper theft from cell phone towers in the last six months.

    “Probably 7 or 8 in the last month. Just in the last month,” McGrew said.

    Major telecommunications companies say they’re working with authorities in Harris County on a monthly basis to combat the spike in targets on their infrastructure.

    But thieves aren’t biased on geographic location.

    They’ve hit cell phone towers in several other counties, including Galveston County, where a man was just caught by sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday.

    The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Jimmy Solis, 43, with criminal trespass and stealing copper in connection to the crime. He’s one of several suspects, the sheriff’s office said.

    It’s Dangerous Work

    That most recent case in Galveston County ended with a crook being caught in the act while roughly 40 feet up in the tower.

    According to a local company that services the towers, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office responded and caught him in the act. While the man was climbing down, he somehow fell about 30 feet to the ground. It’s unclear if Solis was the individual who fell.

    “They said that they just told us that he fell and that he hurt his hand,” McGrew explained. “They had to call him and an ambulance. Could have been a whole lot worse.”

    Many of these crooks are free climbing the towers, meaning they’re scaling the several hundred-foot metal structures without the proper safety gear.

    “If they are climbing or getting hurt on the tower. I mean, all of this is energized,” she said.

    This Impacts All Of Us

    Not only will could these crimes impact your family’s safety, but also your bottom line.

    Each time a thief hits a cell tower, the cell phone carriers, like T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and others, have to pay to have the damaged or removed cables replaced.

    “It just depends,” McGrew said. “I know that some carriers that I’ve talked to, they’ve spent $10,000. Some of them have spent $20,000. Some of them have spent $25,000.”

    At the end of the day, all of that comes back to the customers who see increases in their bills.

    KPRC 2 asked some of the nation’s top cell phone carriers for comment on the thefts impacting their operations. Here are their responses:

    AT&T:

    “We’re actively working with local law enforcement, who is investigating to find those responsible. The public should be aware and report to the police any unmarked (non-AT&T) vehicles or individuals cutting and removing cable.”

    Verizon:

    “The theft of copper communications cables is illegal and dangerous because it puts our customers and others in jeopardy. If somebody needs to make an emergency phone call, including calls to 911, if their phone line was stolen, they may not be able to do so. These criminal acts have caused significant service delays and public safety concerns for Verizon customers and thousands of dollars in damage to local communities. The company urges anyone with info about these crimes to contact the Verizon Security Control Center at 800-997-3287 and select option 3.”

    T-Mobile:

    “This isn’t an issue that is significantly impacting how our network operates, however, it is important to note that theft at towers can lead to extremely dangerous conditions for our teams who manage them, so we do have tools in place to help us make sure our sites remain safe.”

    Dish Wireless:

    “DISH Network, a subsidiary of EchoStar, has experienced an increase in copper thefts in the Houston area at our local cell sites. We have collaborated with other wireless operators in meetings with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies. Additionally, we have enhanced our security, including advanced monitoring.”

    When cell phone towers are damaged, it can leave you and your family in real danger if there were to be an emergency.

    “It impacts to people’s ability to call 911,” said Sgt. Carson.

    Cell phone towers work like those old pesky Christmas tree lights. When one goes out, they all go out, or a hub of towers goes out.

    “Sometimes the towers work as a hub,” McGrew explained. “If they take out one, it takes out like a ring of towers. It would take out seven, eight, maybe even more at a time.”

    Cell phone carriers and tower managers are now using high tech surveillance systems and even security cameras to get notifications and video evidence in real time if crooks decide to hit their towers.

    While it’s helping catch some crooks, awareness will help curb the problem and keep you connected.

    KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding will have a full report on this new crime theft Friday night at 10 p.m.

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

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    Gage Goulding

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  • Copper Development Association Releases New Report, Urges Copper’s Inclusion on the Critical Minerals List

    Copper Development Association Releases New Report, Urges Copper’s Inclusion on the Critical Minerals List

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    Updated data shows that copper now meets the USGS benchmark Supply Risk score of 0.40 for automatic inclusion on the U.S. Critical Minerals List.

    Press Release
    –

    Feb 2, 2023 11:36 EST


    MCLEAN, Va., February 2, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Copper Development Association (CDA) today released a new report replicating the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) methodology used to determine mineral criticality. The analysis shows that copper now meets the USGS benchmark Supply Risk score of 0.40 for automatic inclusion on the U.S. Critical Minerals List. 

    Originally created in 2018, the U.S. Critical Minerals List contains minerals deemed essential to U.S. economic or national security and that have a supply chain vulnerable to disruption. The dynamic list is intended by statute to be updated every three years at a minimum, however, the Secretary of Interior can update it at any time. When compiling the 2022 list, USGS utilized a new qualitative methodology to look closer at a supply risk score by calculating the economic vulnerability, disruption potential, and trade exposure of various minerals. USGS stopped calculating with 2018 data when compiling the 2022 list, resulting in copper missing the required 0.40 supply risk score threshold for automatic inclusion. 

    “Because USGS data was considerably out of date upon the release of the 2022 Critical Minerals List, and the risks to copper from imports has increased dramatically, we engaged an analyst to update copper’s supply risk score with the most recently available data to 2022,” said Andrew G. Kireta, Jr., CDA’s president and CEO.

    New USGS data shows the share of copper consumption that is met by net imports has increased from 33% in 2018 to 44% in 2021 and 41% in 2022. In the first half of 2022, the net import reliance stood at 48%. 

    In the CDA report, copper’s Supply Risk score in 2022 is up to 0.423 and the 4-year weighted average score is now up to 0.407 – both above the USGS 0.40 threshold for automatic inclusion on the list.

    “Copper is and always has been critical to our economic and national security but now to the clean energy transition as well. As copper now meets the threshold for inclusion based on the very latest available data, we need to act immediately to enable the copper industry to provide the essential inputs that copper provides to our national defense and economic security,” Kireta said. 

    With this data, a broad cross-section of political, policy, and industry leaders have all signed letters to Secretary Haaland urging her to exercise the authority given by statute to officially add copper to the list, without waiting for the next update in three years. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) spearheaded a bipartisan letter from senators representing some of the largest copper-producing and fabricating states.

    “Designating copper as a critical mineral strengthens vulnerabilities against foreign adversaries like Russia and China, bolsters our economic and energy security, and fuels Arizona jobs which will keep America strong and ready,” said Sinema.

    In addition, the co-chairs of the U.S. House Copper Caucus, several governors, and a large coalition of trade associations, unions and industry leaders have signed letters to the Secretary urging the inclusion of copper. Copper Caucus Co-Chairs Bob Latta (R-OH-05) and Brian Higgins (D-NY-26) added, “As Members of Congress whose districts include manufacturing facilities that are copper-intensive and essential to the future of our economy’s transition, such a designation would help secure the economic future of these facilities and these communities.”

    The addition of copper to the Critical Minerals List will allow for streamlined regulations and faster development of new supply sources to meet future demand. To learn more about why copper is a Critical Mineral, and to view all of the support letters, visit www.copperiscritical.org. 

    Source: Copper Development Association

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