Danny Ervin writes in RealClearEnergy about the need to expand domestic copper production.
- Every EV battery requires roughly 90 pounds of copper while a single 3-MW offshore wind turbine requires 4.7 tons of copper.
- The U.S. currently relies on copper imports from Chile and Peru to meet 40% of its needs despite the fact there is an estimated 48 trillion tons of copper reserves in western states like Arizona and New Mexico.
- The U.S. must modernize its permitting process to allow for more domestic mining and processing of important minerals like copper.
“Before it’s too late, Congress needs to streamline the mine permitting process. The goal should be to bolster domestic mining to prevent our dependence on imported battery metals from rising much higher than it already is.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
