Soaring demand for copper will help drive mergers, BHP CEO says
Demand for copper, a key element in the energy transition, is set to rise by 70% to 100% by 2050, Mike Henry said
Polish copper producer KGHM cut its 2017 capital investment to around 510 million zlotys ($141.88 million) from an expected 1.02 billion due to the improving results of its foreign assets, the company said on Wednesday.
The state-run firm also said that this year’s output of electrolytic copper from its own concentrates will be 35,000 tonnes than the planned 401,000 tonnes due to an accident at its smelter.
KGHM, one of the world’s biggest copper producers, also said that it expects this year’s molybdenum production at its Chilean Sierra Gorda mine to be lower than planned.
The miner said on Tuesday that its consolidated net profit in the third quarter rose by 84 percent to 604 million zlotys on the back of higher copper prices helped by accounting issues. ($1 = 3.5947 zlotys) (Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko, editing by Louise Heavens)
