(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Resolution Copper
By General James T. Conway & Thomas M. Conway | Real Clear Energy
Transportation, both in the U.S. and across the world, is undergoing a transformation to a connected, electric future. The changing demands of this electric vehicle (EV) switch requires a widespread restructuring of today’s supply chains for a variety of minerals and materials.
The headlines for this supply chain switch have focused largely on critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. But a rocketing demand for copper—which recently shot above $9,000 per ton for the first time in almost a decade amid supply concerns, and is predicted to exceed $10,000 per ton in the near future—has been all but overlooked.
With all the focus on the need for critical minerals, this oversight is ironic given that many of the critical minerals, like rhenium, are in fact common by-products of copper deposits. If the U.S. is to secure its EV industry, it must also focus on building a more robust copper supply chain.
