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Anax Metals Limited (ASX: ANX) (Anax or the Company) is pleased to advise on the waste rock repurposing initiative. The Whim Creek Copper-Zinc Project, located 100 km southwest of Port Hedland, is jointly held by ANX (80%) and DVP (20%). Anax is focussed on developing a copper mine and processing hub to produce copper concentrates and cathode along with valuable by-products. A definitive feasibility study1 and subsequent leaching study2 detailed an initial 8-year mining project that will deliver in excess of $400M in free cashflows.
- Anax is pursuing an opportunity to generate near term revenue through the production of road base / aggregates from existing waste rock
- Working with Castle Civil Pty Ltd, the team is looking to develop a business that will reclaim waste rock and turn it into valuable products
- A commercial scale trial is underway producing material for blending to road base products
- Whim Creek is fully permitted for mining and processing activities and the site is ideally located to supply road base and aggregate products to a rapidly developing Pilbara region
- Aggregate production at Whim Creek will be complementary to the planned regional copper and base metals hub while delivering environmental benefits through the repurposing of waste.
- The team continues with its primary focus on the growth of the copper business through the development of the processing hub at Whim Creek and consolidation and exploration
Anax’s Managing Director, Geoff Laing commented: “Anax is pleased to be pursuing an early-stage revenue opportunity for Whim Creek, while we advance growth initiatives to establish the project as a production hub for the sustainable development of copper and base metals projects in the Pilbara. This innovative approach to repurposing waste materials underlines our commitment to maximise shareholder value through diversified revenue streams from the project. Since acquiring Whim Creek, the Anax team has committed significant resources to improving the site, including key upgrade works, resulting in revoking the Environmental Protection Notice and securing operating permits for the planned mining operation. Repurposing the existing waste rock dumps is another positive initiative that can potentially deliver economic and environmental benefits for us and the region.”
Figure 1: Location of the Whim Creek Project3,4,5,6
While the Company remains 100% focussed on the Whim Creek Copper project, it is investigating the potential to efficiently produce road base, fill and aggregate materials utilising the readily available mined and stacked waste rock and existing site infrastructure. Whim Creek is an established site that is fully permitted for mining and producing copper concentrates and associated products. Site infrastructure includes process plant, water and power systems, offices, roads, and a camp. Applications have been submitted to the Department of Energy, Mines and Industrial Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) and the Department of Water and Environment Regulations (DWER) for relevant amendments to the existing permits to facilitate the repurposing of existing waste rock. The distribution of potential products will be via the northwest highway, which runs directly past the Whim Creek site. Anax intends to pursue producing repurposed waste products in parallel with its ongoing copper growth strategy and closing out financing for the planned copper project.
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This article includes content from Anax Metals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Anax Metals Limited
Investor Insight
Anax Metals, an ASX-listed exploration company, is dedicated to advancing its copper assets in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Through key joint ventures and strategic partnerships, the company is well-positioned to develop a central processing hub, enhancing operational efficiency and delivering strong investor value.
Overview
Anax Metals (ASX:ANX) is a project developer that is on track to begin producing copper and zinc concentrates from its flagship Whim Creek project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project is 80 percent owned by Anax, with JV partner Develop Global (Develop) owning the remaining 20 percent. The Whim Creek DFS (and leaching study) have demonstrated the opportunity for an eight-year mining operation producing copper concentrates, cathodes and valuable byproducts. The operation will generate $410 million in cash flow and deliver an NPV of $270 million with a development capex of $71 million.
The company believes its growth potential lies both in expanding the mineral resources across the project’s four deposits and in a consolidation strategy that includes a processing hub with a concentrator and heap leach at Whim Creek. Benefits from the consolidation include delivering economies of scale with processing flexibility to treat ores from regional orebodies. The permitted infrastructure is ideally located and suited to becoming the Pilbara-processing hub.
Anax Metals and GreenTech Metals signed a non-binding and non-exclusive memorandum of understanding to assess the potential to treat mined material from GreenTech’s base metal assets, with a focus on the open-pittable Whundo deposit.
Anax Metals also signed a non-binding and non-exclusive memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Artemis Resources (ASX:ARV) to jointly assess the potential for processing the copper content of Artemis’ open-pittable Greater Carlow resource at the fully-permitted Whim Creek Processing hub. Anax and Artemis also agree to evaluate the potential for Artemis to explore for gold mineralisation on the Anax project tenure.
Company Highlights
- Anax Metals focuses on delivering copper production at the Whim Creek copper-zinc project within the next 18 to 24 months, targeting over $400 million in free cash flow across an eight-year mine life.
- The company aims to drive resource expansion and consolidate copper assets in the Pilbara region by developing a central processing hub.
- Since completing the DFS last year, Anax Metals has been evaluating opportunities to increase Whim Creek’s production capacity beyond 20 kt of copper equivalent per year.
- Capital requirements are expected to remain low, with plans to leverage existing infrastructure and deploy preconcentration technology to optimize processing capacity..
- Anax Metals actively collaborates with key partners, including Develop Global (ASX:DVP), Greentech Metals (ASX:GRE), and several metal trading groups.
Key Projects
Whim Creek Copper-Zinc Project
Whim Creek is strategically located along the NW Coastal Highway in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, approximately 120 km from both Port Hedland and Karratha. With a long history of copper production, the project benefits from existing infrastructure, including dams, haul roads, offices, workshops, and a dedicated gas spur line. Currently being developed as an 80/20 joint venture between Anax Metals and Develop Global, Whim Creek hosts four key deposits—Whim Creek, Mons Cupri, Salt Creek, and Evelyn. These deposits feature structurally controlled, volcanic-hosted massive sulphide copper-zinc-lead mineralization, presenting significant development potential.
On-going exploration work at Evelyn resulted in discovering exciting new targets for future drilling campaigns scheduled in early 2025. Exploration works conducted in 2024 indicated high copper grades and new soil anomalies. The company is assessing the regional potential of the granted Evelyn Mining Lease for further high-grade VMS-type, polymetallic base metal deposits.
Anax Metals announced its recent application for an exploration license (E47/5275) covering 65 sub-blocks spanning approximately 207 sq. km, which extends the company’s landholding to the south and west of the Whim Creek joint venture tenement package. Once granted, the new tenement will be 100 percent owned by Anax. The majority of E47/5275 lies within the Whim Creek Greenstone Belt, which is highly prospective for volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization, similar to the Whim Creek and Mons Cupri deposits.
Production – Concentrator and Heap Leach
Since completing the definitive feasibility study in 2023, Anax has promoted Whim Creek as a regional processing hub, with potential for an expanded production capacity over 20 kt copper equivalent. Highlights of the technical report include FCF generation of $410 million over an eight-year mine life. Processing would be predominantly through the planned concentrator. Heap leaching is anticipated to begin in the second year of production.
Anax has achieved significant success with bioleaching technology, reporting up to 80 percent copper and 90 percent zinc extraction rates. This innovative approach enhances metal recovery and supports the company’s commitment to sustainable practices.
A processing hub with sorting, concentrator and heap leach facilities
The company believes the project will also provide a processing solution for surrounding projects located within trucking distance of Anax’s processing facility. In the long term, Anax plans to establish a Pilbara Base Metal Alliance to facilitate collaboration with other base metal projects in the region.
Management Team
Phillip Jackson - Chairman
Phillip Jackson is a barrister and solicitor with significant legal and international corporate experience, Phillip Jackson specialises in commercial and contract law, mining and energy law and corporate governance. He has been a director and chairman of a number of ASX and AIM listed minerals companies.
Geoff Laing - Managing Director
Geoff Laing is a chemical engineer with 30 years in mining and project development. He has been involved in the exploration and junior mining sector for the last 15 years, taking on corporate and advisory roles. He was a key player in Exco Resources’ divestment of a substantial copper asset for $175 million to Xstrata Copper, and as managing director, he delivered the successful takeover of the company by WH Sol Pattinson.
Peter Cordin - Non-executive Director
Peter Cordin is a civil engineer with over 45 years' global experience in mining and exploration, both at operational and senior management levels. He has direct experience in the construction and management of diamond and gold operations in Australia, Fenno-Scandinavia and Indonesia.
Phil Warren - Non-executive Director
Phil Warren is a chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience in board governance, corporate advisory and capital raising advice. Warren has spent a number of years working overseas for major international investment banks. He is currently a non-executive director of ASX listed companies, including Family Zone Cyber Safety, Narryer Metals, Killi Resource and Rent.com.au. He was a founding director of Cassini Resources, which was subsequently acquired by Oz Minerals.
Jenine Owen - Chief Financial Officer
Jenine Owen joined Anax in 2020, where she is responsible for corporate risk management, financial management and financial reporting. She is a chartered accountant with extensive finance and commercial experience, including several CFO roles in ASX listed entities. Having started her career with Deloitte (Zimbabwe) in the external assurance division, she moved to London in 1999 where she held various finance and governance roles before settling in Australia in 2008. Prior to joining Anax, Owen was CFO at Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI).
Andrew Mcdonald - General Manager
Andrew McDonald is a seasoned geologist with over 20 years of experience in project management, development, resource geology, and exploration across a wide range of commodities. He has held roles with several ASX-listed mining companies, where he has led project development and managed regulatory approvals for mining projects in both Australia and the United States.
Dan O’Hara – Environmental Manager
Dan O’Hara is an experienced environmental professional with over 15 years in environmental management across the mining, oil and gas, construction, and government sectors. In recent years, he has played a key role in securing environmental permits for mining projects in Western Australia.
Near-term copper producer targeting resource growth and a regional consolidation strategy
Osisko Metals
Investor Insight
Osisko Metals’ high-quality copper and zinc assets present a compelling investment opportunity amid a rapidly expanding critical and base metals market. North America is continuing to prioritize domestic mineral supply chains, and Osisko Metals is well-positioned with its two brownfield, past-producing assets in Canada: the Gaspé Copper project and the Pine Point zinc-lead project.
Overview
Osisko Metals (TSXV:OM,OTC:OMZNF,FRANKFURT: 0B51) is an exploration and development company focusing on two base metal assets in Canada – Gaspé Copper and Pine Point – targeting copper and zinc, both critical minerals necessary for the global transition to clean energy. These assets are past-producing, brownfield projects of significant potential for future production.
The Gaspé Copper project in Québec has a rapid development plan to begin mining the indicated resource of 824 million tons (Mt) of ore grading 0.34 percent copper equivalent. As the gap between available copper supply and growing demand widens, Osisko Metals is well-positioned to help create and strengthen a domestic supply chain for the North American market.
The company’s Pine Point zinc-lead project in the Northwest Territories contains an indicated mineral resource estimate of 49.5 Mt at 4.22 percent zinc and 1.49 percent lead, in addition to significant inferred resources. Zinc is a necessary mineral for the clean energy transition and has important applications throughout the manufacturing industry. This widespread use of zinc has analysts cautioning about a looming supply shortage.
A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) completed in 2022 indicates the Pine Point project has the potential to become a world-class, high-grade zinc asset, with an after-tax net present value (NPV) of C$602 million and internal rate of return (IRR) of 25 percent. A feasibility study is now fully underway, and is expected to be completed in 2025.
In February 2023, Osisko Metals announced a C$100-million investment agreement with Appian Natural Resources Fund III for a joint venture on the Pine Point project. The agreement includes C$75.3 million of funding for the project and up to C$24.7 million in cash payments to Osisko Metals. In February 2024, Osisko Metals sold an additional 5 percent ownership interest in Pine Point Mining to a subsidiary of Appian for approximately C$8.33 million. Appian now has the right to earn up to 65 percent of the project, with Osisko Metals retaining 35 percent.
Pine Point Mining and the Town of Hay River have also signed a memorandum of understanding to seize opportunities for long-term sustainable growth for Hay River through the development and operations of the Pine Point mining project.
Led by a management team with a wide range of expertise throughout the natural resources industry and experience in geology, exploration, corporate finance and corporate administration, Osisko Metals is well-poised to become a world-class supplier of base metals.
Company Highlights
- Osisko Metals (OM) is focused on becoming a significant base metals producer by bringing two past-producing Canadian brownfield assets back into production: the Gaspé Copper project in Québec and the Pine Point zinc-lead project in the Northwest Territories.
- OM’s 100-percent-owned Gaspé Copper project is advancing rapidly with a fully funded 110,000-metre 2025 drill program and the goal of converting and expanding its large-scale NI 43-101 resource base.
- Copper Mountain hosts the largest undeveloped copper asset in Eastern North America, with an in-pit indicated resource of 824 million tonnes (Mt) grading 0.34 percent copper equivalent (CuEq) and an inferred resource of 670 Mt grading 0.38 percent CuEq. The resource contains 4.91 billion pounds of copper, 274 million pounds of molybdenum, and 46 million ounces of silver.
- The Pine Point project has the potential to become a top-ten global zinc producer, supported by updated 2024 resource estimates and a positive PEA. It is operated through a joint venture with Appian Natural Resources Fund III, which has the right to earn up to 65 percent of the project.
- A C$100-million investment agreement with Appian includes C$75.3 million in project funding and allows for a staged increase in Appian’s ownership. Osisko Metals retains a 35 percent interest.
- The 2022 PEA for Pine Point returned an after-tax IRR of 25 percent and an NPV (8 percent) of C$602 million, with clean, high-grade zinc and lead concentrates appealing to global smelters.
- Osisko Metals is backed by strategic and institutional shareholders including Glencore, Appian, Franco-Nevada, Gold Fields, CDPQ and a major Canadian mining company.
- A highly experienced management team with a successful track record of discovery, development and value creation is leading Osisko Metals’ transformation into a leading North American base metals developer.
Key Projects
Gaspé Copper Project
The Gaspé Copper project in Québec is among the most significant copper development projects in eastern North America. Osisko Metals completed the 100-percent acquisition of Gaspé Copper in July 2023 and has since launched a fully funded, 110,000-metre drill program. Québec is consistently ranked as a top-tier mining jurisdiction with supportive permitting processes and access to infrastructure.
Project Highlights:
- Significant Mineral Resource Estimate: The current NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate (effective November 2024) outlines an in-pit indicated resource of 824 Mt grading 0.34 percent copper equivalent and an inferred resource of 670 Mt grading 0.38 percent copper equivalent. Contained metals include 4.91 billion pounds of copper, 274 million pounds of molybdenum, and 46 million ounces of silver.
- Promising Metallurgy: Metallurgical testing demonstrates copper recoveries of 92 to 94 percent and molybdenum recoveries of 65 to 70 percent. The copper concentrate grades range from 24 to 28 percent, while molybdenum concentrate grades reach 59 percent. Payable silver credits are included in the copper concentrate. Osisko Metals has a copper offtake agreement in place with Glencore.
- Prolific Past Production: The historic Gaspé mine produced more than 141 Mt at 0.9 percent copper between 1955 and 1999 through both underground and open-pit mining. The site has undergone over C$150 million in reclamation, creating a well-positioned brownfield development opportunity.
- Robust Infrastructure: The site benefits from year-round road access, on-site hydroelectric power, proximity (under 100 km) to a deep-sea port in Gaspé, and remaining legacy infrastructure, including oxide stockpiles, administration buildings and a water treatment facility.
- 2025 Drill Program: The 110,000-metre drill campaign initiated in February 2025 targets both infill and expansion zones. Goals include upgrading inferred resources, extending mineralization up to 250 meters below the current pit shell, testing areas toward Needle East Mountain, and better delineating high-grade skarn zones (grading 0.5 to 3.0 percent copper). Recent results include:
- Drill hole 30-1090 – 279.0 meters averaging 0.49 percent copper and 108.0 meters averaging 0.84 percent copper
Drill hole 30-1075 – 258.0 meters averaging 0.33 percent copper including 15.6 meters averaging 1.47 percent copper
- Drill hole 30-1090 – 279.0 meters averaging 0.49 percent copper and 108.0 meters averaging 0.84 percent copper
- Wide zones of new mineralization intersected southeast of the Copper Mountain pit, including skarn-hosted copper zones supporting potential for future resource expansion
- Copper Mountain Updated MRE: The latest resource estimate (Fall 2024) reflects a 53 percent increase in copper-equivalent content in the indicated category and a 100-fold increase in the inferred category compared to prior reports. A high-grade sub-resource of 520 Mt grading 0.54 percent copper equivalent has also been identified at higher cut-off grades.
- 2025–2028 Work Program: The plan includes the ongoing drill campaign, environmental and socio-economic impact assessments, a PEA in 2026, and a feasibility study in 2027. Permitting and public hearings are targeted for 2029, followed by financing and construction in 2030–2031, and potential production start-up in 2032.
- Acquisition of New Claims: In December 2024, Osisko Metals acquired 199 additional mineral claims adjacent to the Gaspé Copper property, expanding the project’s exploration footprint in a highly prospective area.
Pine Point Zinc-Lead Project
The Pine Point asset in the Northwest Territories is a brownfield site with legacy infrastructure and a clear path toward redevelopment. The site is supported by an on-site hydroelectric substation, paved access roads, and proximity to rail and port infrastructure.
Project Highlights:
- Joint Venture: Pine Point Mining, the project operator, is governed under a joint venture between Osisko Metals and Appian Natural Resources Fund III. The C$100-million agreement includes C$75.3 million in project funding and additional cash payments. In February 2024, Osisko Metals sold an additional 5 percent interest to Appian for C$8.33 million. Appian may earn up to 65 percent ownership; Osisko Metals retains 35 percent.
- High-grade Clean Concentrates: The project is expected to produce exceptionally clean zinc and lead concentrates, as confirmed by recent metallurgical testing. XRT sorting and flotation achieved recoveries of 87 percent for zinc and 93 percent for lead. Low deleterious element levels make Pine Point’s product highly attractive to smelters seeking premium concentrates.
- Promising Economics: The 2022 PEA outlines an average annual life-of-mine production of 329 million pounds of zinc and 141 million pounds of lead. It projects an after-tax NPV (8 percent) of C$602 million and an IRR of 25 percent. Estimated dewatering volumes were reduced by 30 percent compared to the 2020 PEA.
- 2024 Updated Mineral Resource Estimate:
- Indicated: 49.5 Mt grading 4.22 percent zinc and 1.49 percent lead (5.52 percent zinc equivalent), containing 4.6 billion lbs of zinc and 1.6 billion lbs of lead
- Inferred: 8.3 Mt grading 4.18 percent zinc and 1.69 percent lead (5.64 percent zinc equivalent), containing 0.7 billion lbs of zinc and 0.3 billion lbs of lead
- East Mill, Central, and North zones collectively hold ~36.2 Mt of indicated resources grading 5.22 percent zinc equivalent
- Community Support: Pine Point Mining Limited has secured support through collaboration agreements with Deninu K’ue First Nation and the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, and continues to work under a 2017 exploration agreement with K’atl’odeeche First Nation. A memorandum of understanding was signed in November 2024 with the Town of Hay River to promote long-term economic benefits and local participation.
Management Team
Robert Wares – Chief Executive Officer
A professional geologist with over 35 years of experience, Robert Wares co-founded Osisko Mining and led the discovery of the Canadian Malartic mine. He is a co-recipient of the PDAC’s “Prospector of the Year” (2007) and serves on the board of Brunswick Exploration.
John Burzynski – Executive Chairman
John Burzynski was CEO of Osisko Mining and led the discovery and sale of the Windfall project to Gold Fields for C$2.2 billion. He also co-founded Osisko Gold Royalties and helped develop Canadian Malartic. He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and is a co-recipient of the PDAC’s “Prospector of the Year” (2007)
Don Njegovan – President
Don Njegovan has over 30 years of experience in mining and capital markets. Formerly COO at Osisko Mining, he has also served as managing director, global mining at Scotiabank, and sits on the board of Cornish Metals.
Blair Zaritsky – Chief Financial Officer
BA CPA with over 20 years of experience, Blair Zaritsky was previously CFO of Osisko Mining. He has extensive audit and financial management experience with public companies listed on Canadian exchanges.
Amanda Johnston – Vice-president, Finance
Amanda Johnston is a CPA with more than two decades in the mining and audit sectors. She previously served as VP finance at Osisko Mining and is currently a director of Metalla Royalty & Streaming.
Alexandria Marcotte – Vice-president, Exploration
A registered P.Geo. in Ontario, Alexandria Marcotte has 15+ years of international experience in senior geological roles. She holds an Honours B.Sc. in Geology and an MBA from Schulich School of Business and currently serves as a director of Angel Wing Metals.
Lili Mance – Vice-president & Corporate Secretary
Lili Mance has 30 years of legal, compliance, and governance experience in the resource and financial sectors. She served as corporate secretary at Osisko Mining and is a long-standing member of the Governance Professionals of Canada.
Ann Lamontagne – Vice-president, Environment & Sustainable Development
A civil engineer with a Ph.D. in mining environment, Ann Lamontagne brings over 25 years of environmental consulting and permitting expertise, including work with Nouveau Monde Graphite and Troilus Gold.
Killian Charles – Strategic Advisor
President and CEO of Brunswick Exploration, Killian Charles previously led corporate development at Osisko Metals and worked as a mining analyst. He holds a degree in Earth & Planetary Sciences from McGill University.
Luc Lessard – Technical Advisor
Luc Lessard is a mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in construction and operation of major mines. He is CEO of Falco Resources and COO of Osisko Development, and played key roles in building Canadian Malartic.
What Was the Highest Price for Copper?
Why is copper so expensive in 2025? Higher copper prices over the past few years have largely been attributed to a widening supply/demand gap. The already tenuous copper supply picture was made worse by COVID-19 lockdowns, and as the world's largest economies seemingly began to emerge from the pandemic, demand for the metal picked up once again. Copper mining and refining activities simply haven’t kept up with the rebound in economic activity.
Now, global copper mine supply is tightening at a time when US President Donald Trump's tariffs are placing further strains on copper supply. In response, a new copper all time high was reached in July 2025. But what was the highest price for copper? The Investing News Network (INN) will answer that question, but first let’s take a deeper look at what factors drove the price of copper higher, as well as historical movements in the price of copper.
In this article
What key factors drive the price of copper?
Robust demand has long been one of the strongest factors driving copper prices. The ever-growing number of copper uses in everyday life — from building construction and electrical grids to electronic products and home appliances — make it the world’s third most-consumed metal.
Copper’s anti-corrosive and highly conductive properties are why it’s the go-to metal for the construction industry, and it's used in products such as copper pipes and copper wiring. In fact, construction is responsible for nearly half of global copper consumption. Rising demand for new homes and home renovations in both Asian and Western economies is expected to support copper prices in the long term.
In recent decades, copper price spikes have been strongly tied to rising demand from China as the economic powerhouse injects government-backed funding into new housing and infrastructure. Industrial production and construction activity in the Asian nation have been like rocket fuel for copper prices.
Additionally, copper’s conductive properties are increasingly being sought after for use in renewable energy applications, including thermal, hydro, wind and solar energy.
However, the biggest driver of copper consumption in the renewable energy sector is rising global demand for electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging infrastructure and energy storage applications. As governments push forward with transportation network electrification and energy storage initiatives as a means to combat climate change, copper demand from this segment is expected to surge.
New energy vehicles use significantly more copper than internal combustion engine vehicles, which only contain about 22 kilograms of copper. In comparison, hybrid EVs use an average of 40 kilograms, plug-in hybrid EVs use 55 kilograms, battery EVs use 80 kilograms and battery electric buses use 253 kilograms.
In 2024, EV sales worldwide increased by 25 percent over 2023 to come in at about 17.1 million units, and analysts at Rho Motion expect that trend to continue in the coming years despite some headwinds in the near-term. Already in the first five months of 2025, EV sales were up 28 percent over the same period in the previous year.
On the supply side of the copper market, the world’s largest copper mines are facing depleting high-grade copper resources, while over the last decade or more new copper discoveries have become few and far between.
The pandemic made the situation worse as mining activities in several top copper-producing countries faced work stoppages and copper companies delayed investments in further exploration and development — a challenging problem considering it can take as many as 10 to 20 years to move a project from discovery to production. In addition, delayed investments amid the pandemic will also have long-term repercussions for copper supply.
There have also been ongoing production issues at major copper mines, most notably the shutdown in late 2023 of First Quantum Minerals' (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) Cobre Panama mine, which accounted for about 350,000 MT of the world's annual copper production.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is forecasting a 30 percent shortfall in the amount of copper needed to meet demand by 2035. “This will be a major challenge. It’s time to sound the alarm,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said.
The supply shortage has increased the need for end users to turn to the copper scrap market to make up for the supply shortage. Sometimes referred to as “the world’s largest copper mine,” recycled copper scrap contributes significantly to supplying and balancing the copper market.
Eleni Joannides, Wood Mackenzie's research director for copper, told INN by email at the end of Q4 2024 that there is recognition of the underinvestment in copper exploration, but she sees a new dawn emerging for the sector.
“We are seeing signs this could change. Much of the growth over the last five years has come from brownfield expansions rather than greenfield/new discoveries," she said. "Technology will likely help increase the chance of discovery, and broadly I would say that policymakers are now more supportive of mineral exploration as the push to secure critical raw materials supply has moved up the agenda."
Joannides offered some examples of greenfield projects in the pipeline: Capstone Copper’s (TSX:CS,OTC Pink:CSCCF) Santo Domingo in Chile, Southern Copper’s (NYSE:SCCO) Tia Maria in Peru and Teck Resources' (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) Zafranal in Peru.
How has the copper price moved historically?
Taking a look back at historical price action, the copper price has had a wild ride for more than two decades.
Sitting at US$1.38 per pound in late January 2005, the copper price followed global economic growth up to a high of US$3.91 in April 2008. Of course, the global economic crisis of 2008 soon led to a copper crash that left the metal at only US$1.29 by the end of year.
Once the global economy began to recover in 2011, copper prices posted a new record high of US$4.58 per pound at the start of the year. However, this high was short-lived as the copper price began a five year downward trend, bottoming out at around US$1.95 in early 2016.
Copper prices stayed fairly flat over the next four years, moving in a range of US$2.50 to US$3 per pound.
20 year copper price performance.
Chart via Macrotrends.
The pandemic’s impact on mine supply and refined copper in 2020 pushed prices higher despite the economic slowdown. The copper price climbed from a low of US$2.17 in March to close out the year at US$3.52.
In 2021, signs of economic recovery and supercharged interest in EVs and renewable energy pushed the price of copper to rally higher and higher. Copper topped US$4.90 per pound for the first time ever on May 10, 2021, before falling back to close at US$4.76.
Also affecting the copper price at that time was expectations for higher copper demand amid supply concerns out of two of the world’s major copper producers: Chile and Peru. In late April 2021, port workers in Chile called for a strike, while in Peru presidential candidate Pedro Castillo proposed nationalizing mining and redrafting the country’s constitution.
In early May 2021, news broke that copper inventories were at their lowest point in 15 years. Expert market watchers such as Bank of America commodity strategist Michael Widmer warned that further inventory declines into 2022 could lead to a copper market deficit.
After climbing to start 2022 at US$4.52, the copper price continued to spike on economic recovery expectations and supply shortages to reach US$5.02 per pound on March 6. Throughout the first quarter, fears of supply chain disruptions and historically low stockpiles amid rising copper demand drove prices higher.
However, copper prices pulled back in mid-2022 on worries that further COVID-19 lockdowns in China, as well as a growing mortgage crisis, would slow down construction and infrastructure activity in the Asian nation. Rising inflation and interest hikes by the Fed also placed downward pressure on a wide basket of commodities, including copper. By late July 2022, copper prices were trading down at nearly a two year low of around US$3.30.
In the early months of 2023 the copper price was trading over the US$4 per pound level after receiving a helpful boost from continuing concerns about low copper inventories, signs of rebounding demand from China, and news about the closure of Peru's Las Bambas mine, which accounts for 2 percent of global copper production.
However, that boost turned to a bust in the second half of 2023 as China continued to experience real estate sector issues, alongside the economic woes of the rest of the world. The price of copper dropped to a low for the year of US$3.56 per pound in mid October.
Elevated supply levels kept copper trading in the US$3.50 to US$3.80 range for much of Q1 2024 before experiencing strong gains that pushed the price of the red metal to US$4.12 on March 18.
Those gains were attributed to in part to tighter copper concentrate supply following the closure of First Quantum Minerals' Cobre Panama mine, guidance cuts from Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF) and declining production at Chile’s Chuquicamata mine. In addition, China’s top copper smelters announced production cuts after limited supply led to lower profits from treatment and refining charges.
BHP's (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) attempted takeover of Anglo American also stoked fears of even tighter global copper mine supply. These supply-side challenges continued to juice copper prices in Q2 2024, causing a jump of nearly 29 percent from US$4.04 per pound on April 1 to a then all-time high of US$5.20 by May 20, 2024.
What was the highest price for copper ever?
The price of copper reached its highest recorded price of US$5.72 per pound, or US$12,610 per metric ton, on July 8, 2025. The red metal’s price surged more than 13 percent from July 7 to its new all time high. Read on to found out how the copper price reached those heights.
Why did the copper price hit an all-time high in 2025?
After starting 2025 at US$3.99 per pound, copper prices were lifted in Q1 by increasing demand from China’s economic stimulus measures, renewable energy and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and stockpiling brought on by fear of US President Trump’s tariff threats.
At the time, Trump had said the US was considering placing tariffs of up to 25 percent on all copper imports in a bid to spark increased domestic production of the base metal.
In late February, he signed an executive order instructing the US Commerce Department to investigate whether imported copper poses a national security risk under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The price of copper reached a new high price of US$5.24 per pound on March 26 as tariff tensions escalated.
Trump's tariff talk sparked yet another copper price rally to set its new record high price in early July when he announced he plans to impose a 50 percent tariff on all imports of the red metal.
Looking at the bigger picture, copper’s rally in recent years has encouraged bullish sentiment on prices looking ahead. In the longer term, the fundamentals for copper are expected to get tighter as demand increases from sectors such as EVs and energy storage. A May 2024 report from the International Energy Forum (IEF) projects that as many as 194 new copper mines may need to come online by 2050 to support massive demand from the global energy transition.
Looking over to renewable energy, according to the Copper Development Association, solar installations require about 5.5 MT of copper for every megawatt, while onshore wind turbines require 3.52 MT of copper and offshore wind turbines require 9.56 MT of copper.
The rise of AI technology is also bolstering the demand outlook for copper. Commodities trader Trafigura has said AI-driven data centers could add one million MT to copper demand by 2030, reports Reuters.
Where can investors look for copper opportunities?
Copper market fundamentals suggest a return to a bull market cycle for the red metal in the medium-term. The copper supply/demand imbalance also presents an investment opportunity for those interested in copper-mining stocks.
Are there any copper companies on your radar? If you’re looking for some inspiration, head on over to INN's articles on the top copper stocks on the TSX and TSXV, the biggest copper stocks on the ASX, and our list of 27 advanced US copper projects to watch.
If you're looking to diversify your portfolio with other investment options, check out copper ETFS and ETNs or copper futures contracts. Investor and author Gianni Kovacevic told INN in a December 2024 interview that one of the ways he is playing copper under Trump's second term is with copper stocks such as Coppernico Metals (TSX:COPR), Entree Resources (TSX:ETG,OTCQB:ERLFF) and Horizon Copper (TSXV:HCU,OTCQX:HNCUF).
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2021.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
Empire Metals Limited Announces Team Expansion & Bulk Met Testing Commences
Highlights
- Strategic Appointments to Accelerate Development
Empire has appointed Mr. Alan Rubio as Study Manager and Mr. Pocholo Aviso as Hydro-metallurgist. These appointments are aligned with the Company's objective to evaluate mining scenarios, optimise product development, assess commercial process flowsheet options and progress the Project toward a feasibility study. - Mr. Alan Rubio, an engineer and seasoned Study and Project Manager with over 28 years' experience working within the resources sector developing and evaluating mining projects, will lead the assessment of mining, infrastructure and oversee key economic studies to deliver a robust project development plan.
- Mr. Pocholo Aviso, an experienced hydro-metallurgist with a background in the TiO₂ pigment industry (including roles at Tronox and BHP's Kwinana Nickel Refinery), will manage the titanium product development programme, focusing on product optimisation, process flowsheet designs and evaluating market pathways.
- Partnership with Strategic Metallurgy Pty Ltd:
Empire has also partnered with Strategic Metallurgy, a highly respected, Perth-based metallurgical consultancy. The firm will provide oversight of the metallurgical testwork programme and technical guidance to the Company's internal metallurgists and process design engineers, helping transition from bench-scale process development to pilot-scale testing.
- Bulk-Scale Testwork:
The Company has commenced bulk metallurgical testwork that will produce significant quantities of mineral concentrate to support large-scale beneficiation testing and, for the first time, enable the supply of bulk product samples to prospective end users. In addition, this testwork will provide critical technical information for the development of a commercial process flowsheet.
These key appointments advance the Company toward confirming project economics and assessing mine design, process flowsheets and product options-critical steps in the development pathway to commercial mine production.
Commenting on the announcement, Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said:
"I am delighted to welcome Alan and Pocholo to our team. Their technical expertise will be invaluable as we move toward defining the economic potential and product strategy for Pitfield. Building a strong in-house team has been key to our progress so far, and these appointments mark an important next step.
"We are also very pleased to be working with Strategic Metallurgy, whose reputation and experience in process development will significantly strengthen our metallurgical programme. The timing is ideal, with large-scale metallurgical testing now underway, including ore scrubbing and spiral gravity separation, using bulk samples collected earlier this year."
Process Development Update
A large-scale metallurgical testwork programme, involving mineral separation techniques that require bulk feed samples, between approximately 0.5 to 1.5 tonnes each, has commenced using the material collected from the February 2025 Air Core drilling. The programme includes ore scrubbing, desliming and gravity spiral testwork. Alternative gravity separation unit processes, such as jigs and up-current classifiers, are also being evaluated.
Flotation testwork is also being carried out on the fines fraction, separated in the desliming step. As part of this programme, bulk mineral concentrates will be produced for downstream processing, testing both hydrometallurgical and product finishing flowsheet concepts. This will allow a consistent, common mineral concentrate stream to be assessed across the range of flowsheet options that are being considered downstream of the mineral separation step.
Figure 1. Photos of bulk testwork programme showing clockwise from bottom left: deslimed feed sample, wet scrubber unit, and gravity spirals .
This bulk testwork programme will produce significant volumes of concentrates which will feed into beneficiation testwork and result in larger product samples which can be delivered to potential end users for assessment for the first time.
In addition, this programme is designed to assess different types of process equipment and analyse a variety of flowsheet options, resulting in technical information necessary for developing a commercial process flowsheet.
About Strategic Metallurgy
Strategic Metallurgy Pty Ltd, established in 2010, is a metallurgical consulting company whose business model is to work with mining companies to develop their metallurgical strategy and ensure that it fits into their overall business plan. With a proven track record of providing expert consulting, process development, testwork management, feasibilities and strategic reviews Strategic Metallurgy has the extensive hands-on experience that Empire requires to progress the Pitfield Project through the metallurgical testing, process modelling, flowsheet design stages to pilot plant design and operation.
The Pitfield Titanium Project
Located within the Mid-West region of Western Australia, near the northern wheatbelt town of Three Springs, the Pitfield titanium project lies 313km north of Perth and 156km southeast of Geraldton, the Mid West region's capital and major port. Western Australia is ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world according to the Fraser Institute's Investment Attractiveness Index published in 2023, and has mining-friendly policies, stable government, transparency, and advanced technology expertise. Pitfield has existing connections to port (both road & rail), HV power substations, and is nearby to natural gas pipelines (refer Figure 2).
Figure 2. Pitfield Project Location showing the Mid-West Region Infrastructure and Services.
Competent Person Statement
The scientific and technical information in this report that relates to process metallurgy is based on information reviewed by Ms Narelle Marriott, an employee of Empire Metals Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire. Ms Marriott is a member of the AusIMM and has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012. Ms. Marriott consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears.
The technical information in this report that relates to the geology and exploration of the Pitfield Project has been compiled by Mr Andrew Faragher, an employee of Empire Metals Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire. Mr. Faragher is a member of the AusIMM and has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012. Mr Faragher consents to the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure
Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, until the release of this announcement.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit www.empiremetals.co.uk or contact:
About Empire Metals Limited
Empire Metals is an AIM-listed and OTCQB-traded exploration and resource development company (LON:EEE)(OTCQB:EPMLF) with a primary focus on developing Pitfield, an emerging giant titanium project in Western Australia.
The high-grade titanium discovery at Pitfield is of unprecedented scale, with airborne surveys identifying a massive, coincident gravity and magnetics anomaly extending over 40km by 8km by 5km deep. Drill results have indicated excellent continuity in grades and consistency of the in-situ mineralised beds and confirm that the sandstone beds hold the higher-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂) values within the interbedded succession of sandstones, siltstones and conglomerates. The Company is focused on two key prospects (Cosgrove and Thomas), which have been identified as having thick, high-grade, near-surface, in-situ bedded TiO₂ mineralisation, each being over 7km in strike length.
An Exploration Target* for Pitfield was declared in 2024, covering the Thomas and Cosgrove mineral prospects, and was estimated to contain between 26.4 to 32.2 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.5 to 5.5% TiO2. Included within the total Exploration Target* is a subset that covers the in-situ weathered sandstone zone, which extends from surface to an average vertical depth of 30m to 40m and is estimated to contain between 4.0 to 4.9 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.8 to 5.9% TiO2.
The Exploration Target* covers an area less than 20% of the overall mineral system at Pitfield which demonstrates the potential for significant further upside.
Empire is now accelerating the economic development of Pitfield, with a vision to produce a high-value titanium metal or pigment quality product at Pitfield, to realise the full value potential of this exceptional deposit.
The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the Eclipse Project and the Walton Project in Western Australia, in addition to three precious metals projects located in a historically high-grade gold producing region of Austria.
*The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource. See RNS dated 12 June 2024 for full details.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
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