The South Australian Government has just declared that copper will join its list of critical minerals, less than a month after the U.S. Government also decided to include copper on their list for the first time.
According to the SA Government, copper is a critical component for decarbonisation and will feature strongly in the state’s upcoming Critical Minerals Strategy, set to be shared with key industry stakeholders in the coming weeks.
The SA Government also says it will continue to advocate at a federal level for the inclusion of copper on the national critical minerals list. “An official Commonwealth listing would be a powerful acknowledgment of the importance of copper to global markets, providing further opportunities for investment”, a media statement said.
There appears to be a growing momentum globally to treat copper similarly, with the U.S.—and now South Australia—joining the EU, Japan, India, China and Canada.
The decision by the U.S. Government to include copper on the Critical Materials Assessment means it is recognised there as serving “an essential function” in the production of energy transition technologies such as electric vehicles. It is also acknowledges that copper faces a high risk of supply chain disruption.
While the U.S. decision is an important milestone, the American Copper Development Centre (CDA), which has led a campaign for copper’s inclusion as a critical metal, says it doesn’t go far enough.
“While the DOE Critical Material list is focused only on the importance to energy technologies, we know copper is critical to overall U.S. economic and national security. CDA will therefore continue to advocate for copper’s inclusion on the official U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Critical Minerals list”.
Australia is due to update its Critical Minerals List by the end of this year and has begun consulting with industry, experts and other stakeholders to inform the review.
South Australia detail: https://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/home/news/latest/critical-mass-sa-government-declares-copper-a-critical-mineral
