‘Now entering the New Copper Age’: Anil Agarwal on how future technologies cannot do without the red metal

Whether or not to invest in gold is a different matter, but there is no denying that the metal that will be the next big thing is copper. In fact, Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal has said that we are now entering a “new copper era”.

“Copper is closely linked to the progress of human civilization and ancient India. About 6,000 years ago, the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world’s first great civilizations, emerged in the Age of Copper, when we learned to use the red metal for the first time. I believe we are now entering a new age of copper,” he added, adding that all technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence or energy transmission, are all powered by massive amounts of copper.

He said India could become the world leader in copper. “We have the human resources, natural resources and technological capacity. Our future will be as prosperous and glorious as our ancient past,” he said.

Not only Agarwal, but analyst Sujay Yeo said that copper is the metal that may reshape wealth in the next five to ten years. He also said that the world cannot build its future without it.

In fact, copper is critical for electric cars, solar panels, charging stations, power grids and data centers and is widely used around the world in power generation, electronics and construction.

In fact, the United States has included copper in the list of ten metals that it considers essential to the United States economy and national security. The Trump administration plans to boost domestic mining and reduce reliance on imports.

Meanwhile, Grasberg, one of the world’s largest copper mines in Indonesia, was affected by floods and accidents. This has raised concerns about a production shortfall of more than 600,000 tonnes by 2026. It usually takes 10 to 15 years to open a new copper mine. Existing mines are either drying up or facing a decline in ore quality. These factors have caused concern in the market.

Copper prices recently rose 3 to 3.5 percent in a single day on concerns about supply. Goldman Sachs and Citi expect copper prices to reach between $11,000 and $14,000 per ton in the coming years, indicating a potential price increase of 20 to 50 percent.