Copyright

Erik Eberhardt

Published On

2024-04-08

Page Range

pp. 171–180

Language

  • English

Print Length

10 pages

The Copper Supply Gap

Mining Bigger and Deeper

Chapter of: Heavy Metal: Earth’s Minerals and the Future of Sustainable Societies(pp. 171–180)
Copper is a critical metal for electrification, and is witnessing a step-change in demand associated with the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy and electric transportation systems. By 2030, a copper supply gap of ten million metric tons per year is expected, equivalent to the global copper supply required to meet the Paris Agreement targets. This essay discusses the challenges ahead as we seek to close this anticipated supply gap, with a particular focus on the need for new underground mining methods to access deeper copper deposits. The shift to targeting deep underground deposits is pushing the mining industry beyond its experience base, creating a need for novel engineering approaches to mitigate new geological hazards, while also managing new economic risk factors. Success in these endeavours is critical to the advancement of the clean energy transition.

Contributors

Erik Eberhardt

(author)
Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at University of British Columbia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4844-5116

Erik Eberhardt is a Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at UBC. He previously served as the Associate Director of the Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC), and now serves on the leadership team for the International Caving Research Network (ICaRN). His research integrates geological field measurements with advanced computer modelling to better understand and assess the underlying mechanisms responsible for complex geological hazards, including engineering risks associated with large open pit and deep underground mining projects. He is a registered professional engineer in the province of British Columbia, and recently won the Rock Mechanics Award from the Canadian Institute of Mining in recognition of his significant and lasting contributions to rock engineering.