To paraphrase Clinton's slogan: It's the COPPER stupid🤪
From the UK’s Labour Party Manifesto:
To deliver our clean power mission, Labour will work with the private sector to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030.
This is not atypical: “…Compared to the 2019…..[EU] national targets have been increased by an average of 45% for wind installed capacity and around 70% for solar…”
Then there’s Electric Vehicles (EV’s). And, the IEA says:
“…At the end of 2021, the number of electric cars on the road exceeded 16.5 million. The global electric car stock expands to almost 350 million vehicles by 2030…”
With a wave of the hand, those actively supporting wind, solar, battery, EV/EV charging technologies, dismiss comments of an impending Copper Crunch by copying and pasting stuff like this: “…Current copper resources are estimated to exceed 5,000 million tonnes (USGS, 2014 & 2017). According to USGS data, since 1950 there has always been, on average, 40 years of copper reserves and over 200 years of resources left…”
But those steeped in the copper mining industry state, with an authority demanding respect, that humongous problems of copper supply lie ahead.
One such person is Ross Beaty: “…2017 Laureate Inductee Ross Beaty…”
Here he is [at 5:03] in full flight disregard for those of a Net Zero by 2050 persuasion (Also, please note the 20 to 30 years comment at 0:45)
And, for all the Dreamers🤩 - the ‘renewables’ acolytes [political/mainstream media/social media activists], bearing in mind that 20 to 30 years for a large mine to come to market, think about this:
6 new large copper mines required every year for the next several decades - for EVs alone
So decision makers the world over must factor into the future of our energy needs the inescapable and imminent Copper Crunch. Not only that, but Dr Robin Armstrong, who specialises in Economic Geology is terrified of the effect the future demand for copper will have on water availability
Problems! Problems! Problems! And, sticking a finger in the air ☝ by targeting 2050 for an Energy Transition or Net Zero will not make them go away.
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But - What should this say to politicians/decision makers in any ‘nuclear-ready’ nation or jurisdiction?
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Hot off the Press - December 05, 2024
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Hot off the Press - January 24, 2025
