Smelting Capacity Proves Insufficient as Copper Mining Increases
Copper miners are increasing the output at their mines after years of lukewarm performance, but they may not be able to make a meaningful dent in the supply crunch. Years of underinvestment in new copper mines have resulted in a massive shortfall of copper stockpiles and threatened the transition to clean energy. Even though miners are now stepping up their production efforts, copper smelters simply may not be able to keep up with the influx of new copper ore. Smelters play an integral role in the copper supply chain, turning copper ore from miners into copper metal that can be…
