How a lack of copper could slow the transition to renewable energyBy Sam Nichols and Kate MacDonald
According to a 2021 report by Goldman Sachs, by its lowest estimates, renewable energy sources – like wind, battery and solar – will drive copper demand up nearly 600 per cent, or 5.4 million megatonnes, by 2030.
In the case of "hyper adoption of green technologies", this demand would grow to 8.7 million megatonnes by 2030, a lift of 900 per cent, according to the report.
This increase is due to energy transmission which already accounts for 21 per cent of the world's demand for copper.
Currently, copper supply is low and prices are falling. Between June and October 2022, the price of copper fell by 33 per cent – a drop related to rising interest rates in Australia and the US.
The biggest copper producers in 2021 were Chile, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China. These countries accounted for more than half of the global supply. Chile was the biggest player. It produced around a quarter of the world's supply alone.
Chile, Peru and the DRC, are the key countries for copper supply. It is "very risky" for copper prices and for the transition to renewable energy: political unrest.
Source: abc.net
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-08/ ... =291917007
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"