From data centers to EVs to wind turbines: Copper's critical role in the age of electrification

In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte examines how the copper market is facing an unprecedented supply crunch driven by the accelerating pace of electrification. Patricia Barreto , senior principal analyst from the metals & mining research team at S&P Global Energy CERA, breaks down the numbers behind copper's critical role in the energy transition and sheds light on why copper prices soared to record highs in January. Eric Saderholm , managing director of exploration at American Pacific Mining Corp., explains the on-ground realities of bringing new copper supply online and discusses how recent policy changes are affecting the industry. The conversation also covers China's dominance in smelting capacity, US critical mineral policies, and why the industry's ability to scale production will determine whether the global energy transition succeeds or stalls.

You can listen to From data centers to EVs to wind turbines: Copper's critical role in the age of electrification online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

From data centers to EVs to wind turbines: Copper's critical role in the age of electrification is an episode from Platts Future Energy by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

This episode is 29:59 long.

This episode was published on Jan 27, 2026.

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