Buy, hold and wait....31 Oct 2022 08:21
Worth subscribing to the FT: A Copper shortage looming......
"Global plans to electrify economies and cut carbon emissions could be slowed down by copper shortages, the head of the world’s largest listed producer of the metal has warned.
Richard Adkerson, chief executive and chair of US mining group Freeport-McMoran, said surging global demand for copper for the rapid rollout of electric cars, renewable electricity and power lines would cause a shortfall.
“There is going to be a very significant shortage in copper,” he said. “It’s going to be very difficult to meet the aspirations that have been set.”
Copper is crucial for “greening” the economy because of its ability to conduct electricity. An electric car can use three times the amount of copper as a combustion engine counterpart, while renewable energy projects tend to need five times the volume of the metal as traditional gas, coal and nuclear power plants.