Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy has last night hosted an important short debate on the issue of copper.
Janet emphasised the UK's heavy reliance on copper imports, costing over £1.5 billion annually, and urged domestic solutions as global demand is set to double by 2035 to meet Net-Zero goals.
As a vital component for wind turbines, EVs, solar panels, and green energy infrastructure, copper is crucial to the transition away from fossil fuels and advancing sustainable progress.
This includes repurposing past-producing mines with existing infrastructure and resources to provide a quicker and more affordable way to start production.
Commenting on the debate Janet said:
“It was a delight to bring such an important issue before the Senedd as there is indeed much Wales can do to boost UK domestic copper production.
“To meet the 2050 net-zero targets, large-scale deployment of power and automotive technologies must be achieved by 2035, driving copper demand to surge from the current 28 million metric tonnes to approximately 50 million tonnes by 2035—a record-breaking level that will persist and continue rising through 2050.
“Refurbishing past-producing mines enables companies to tap into these valuable resources and extend the life of existing sites, potentially adding around 7 million mega tonnes of copper to the market.
“Crucially, copper is not on the Uks critical mining list unlike in the USA, EU, South Korea and Japan. So that we take seriously this dilemma and ensure that investment can be made into this industry the UK Government must implement this change.
“It is time for Wales, with all her wealth of wisdom and experience in mining to take a stand and get digging.”
ENDS
