Canada Reliant on China for Copper to Achieve Lower Carbon Emissions Goals: Report

Canada’s goal of reducing carbon emissions cannot be achieved without relying on China, a new energy industry report says. The key to success is copper, an essential component of electrification, according to the authors of “Securing Copper Supply: no China, no energy transition,” published by data and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie. China dominates in the smelting and refining of copper, which is essential to creating tools needed for cleaner energy and reduced carbon emissions, the report says. The authors estimate that copper demand will grow 75 percent by 2050. “Hundreds of billions of dollars in new copper processing and fabrication capacity would be required to replace China,” the report says. “This would create inefficiencies that would result in significantly higher-priced finished goods and increase the cost and timeliness of the energy transition.”...