(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Resolution Copper, Arizona Sonoran Copper, Ivanhoe Electric, and Pinal Partnership.)
By Mark Cowling | Pinal Central
Despite all the mining in Arizona, the United States still has to import half its copper — a situation that needs to change, industry executives told a Pinal Partnership breakfast Friday morning.
“A lot of countries are currently going from dirt floors to in-home plumbing and electrical, and that is putting a huge demand on the copper industry globally,” said Kennedy Ivy, community relations manager for Faraday Copper.
“It’s going to be harder for us to import these things when we need them. It’s better for us to produce them in-house. We do it better and cleaner than anywhere else in the world.”
Sophie Dessart of Florence Copper said one study predicts copper demand will increase 50% by 2040.
Mike Patterson, a vice president with Ivanhoe Electric, said it’s one of the most critical minerals, not only for its unique characteristics but because of how broadly it’s used — in power infrastructure, national security and new technologies. “It’s used everywhere.”
