A Tale of Two Metals Will Determine the Future of Energy
Nickel and copper are vital components of a decarbonized economy, and production of both should be surging. Lopsided growth will slow the shift to net zero.
Flooding the market.
Photographer: Riza Salman/AFP/Getty Images
The world’s biggest miner BHP Group Ltd. grew powerful by building dominant positions in producing the minerals of the future. That makes the challenges it’s facing with two key clean-tech ingredients a sobering lesson for the energy transition.
Nickel and copper have long been recognized as vital components of a decarbonized economy. The former helps to cram energy into the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and grid-scale power storage cells. The latter is used almost everywhere electricity flows — from wires, motors and turbines to heat exchangers and transformers.