Copper News Roundup

Published: Sep 14, 2021 13:51
The Biden government of the United States on September 9 stated that it would restart a procedure to permanently suspend the development of the Pebble Mine project, thereby permanently protecting the ecology of an important water area in Alaska.

SHANGHAI, Sep 14 (SMM) – This is copper news roundup for last week.

1. The Biden government of the United States on September 9 stated that it would restart a procedure to permanently suspend the development of the Pebble Mine project, thereby permanently protecting the ecology of an important water area in Alaska. Pebble Mine is one of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world. If development is completed, the open-pit gold-copper mine will produce more than 70 million mt of gold, molybdenum and copper ore each year.

2. OZ Minerals said on September 7 that its Prominent Hill copper-gold mine in South Australia is gradually recovering after it ceased operations due to the death of an underground worker over the weekend. The miner predicts that the mine will produce up to 70,000 mt of copper and 135,000 oz of gold in fiscal year 2021.

3. Minera Lumina Copper said on September 5 that it had reached an agreement with the workers of the Caserones mine in Chile on a three-year collective contract, ending a nearly one-month strike. Minera Lumina Copper, controlled by Japan’s JX Nippon Copper, said in a statement that 98% of the union’s members voted for its latest offer and signed a contract on September 4.

4. In August 2021, the Sixth Central Ecological Environmental Protection Supervision Group inspected Daye Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings, a subsidiary of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, and found that the main responsibility was not fully implemented, environmental pollution was serious, and hidden risks were high.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
Copper Prices Rebound Sharply: Bad News Fully Priced In, or Fundamentals Reasserting Themselves?
Sep 18, 2026 17:56
Copper Prices Rebound Sharply: Bad News Fully Priced In, or Fundamentals Reasserting Themselves?
Read More
Copper Prices Rebound Sharply: Bad News Fully Priced In, or Fundamentals Reasserting Themselves?
Copper Prices Rebound Sharply: Bad News Fully Priced In, or Fundamentals Reasserting Themselves?
Sep 18, 2026 17:56
Doosan Invests $701.5M to Expand CCL Production in Korea and China Through 2028
Sep 18, 2026 17:29
Doosan Invests $701.5M to Expand CCL Production in Korea and China Through 2028
Read More
Doosan Invests $701.5M to Expand CCL Production in Korea and China Through 2028
Doosan Invests $701.5M to Expand CCL Production in Korea and China Through 2028
Doosan Group said on September 17 that it will invest approximately KRW 968.4 billion (about USD 701.5 million) to expand high-end copper-clad laminate (CCL) production in South Korea and China. Roughly KRW 421 billion will expand domestic CCL lines for optical modules, while about KRW 547.4 billion will build a new plant in Changshu, China, for AI accelerators and network switches via wholly-owned Doosan Electro-Materials Changshu, with an additional KRW 182.4 billion capital injection. The three-year investment runs through 2028, with new lines scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2028. In H1 2026, utilization at Doosan's Jeungpyeong and Gimcheon plants reached 109.8% and 102.7%, respectively, while the China plant ran at 92.2%. Q2 2026 optical-module CCL sales jumped more than tenfold year-on-year to about KRW 50 billion, and network-board CCL sales reached KRW 369.2 billion, accounting for more than half of the Electronics Business Group's revenue.
Sep 18, 2026 17:29
Copper Cathode Rod Orders Expand, Inventories Decline; Production to Increase 2.31% WoW
Sep 18, 2026 16:18
Copper Cathode Rod Orders Expand, Inventories Decline; Production to Increase 2.31% WoW
Read More
Copper Cathode Rod Orders Expand, Inventories Decline; Production to Increase 2.31% WoW
Copper Cathode Rod Orders Expand, Inventories Decline; Production to Increase 2.31% WoW
[SMM Copper Cathode Rod Flash] New orders continued to expand, and with the holiday approaching, finished product inventories destocked at a faster pace. Production willingness at copper cathode rod enterprises strengthened, and the operating rate is expected to rise 2.31 percentage points WoW next week.
Sep 18, 2026 16:18