Once seen as a laggard in the global mining industry, US copper deposits have quietly drawn more than $1.1-billion in investments from small and large miners alike as Tesla and other electric carmakers scramble for more of the red metal.
Four US copper projects are set to open by next year – the first to come on line in more than a decade – with several mine expansions also underway across the country, home to the world’s fifth-largest copper reserves, according to the US Geological Survey.