The Elements of Innovation Discovered

A push to add copper to US critical list

Metal Tech News - February 6, 2023

US business and political leaders call on USGS to expediently add copper to list of critical minerals.

Copper is essential to a global economy that favors low-carbon electricity powerlines over fossil fuel-filled pipelines to deliver future energy needs. But does the green energy demand make the red metal critical?

So far, copper has not been elevated to the official list of minerals and metals de...

 
 

Reader Comments(1)

Eidolon writes:

So, first I wonder, where the heck are Murkowski and Sullivan and why aren't they signing this letter? Using the parameters given above for estimated future copper demand (550M tons in 25 years) and applying that to an average production grade of 0.2% copper, I come up with a minimum of 275 billion tons of ore. That's a very tall order. Hello, Pebble?