increase exceeding 50–80%, driven by the expansion of clean technologies and the modernization of global electrical infrastructure. Various institutions, such as the International Energy Agency, S&P Global, and the European Commission, emphasize that the energy transition will increase copper use intensity across virtually all critical sectors. Under scenarios aligned with 2050 carbon neutrality targets, the electrification of transport, the large-scale integration of renewable energy, the growth of smart grids, and the need to reinforce electrical infrastructure, position copper as a fundamental input. As a result, metal demand shows a growing, sustained, and structural trend, reflecting the central role copper plays in the world’s technological and energy transformation. The projection of continuously expanding demand through 2050 highlights the importance of copper as an essential component of the global economy. Understanding this evolution is key to planning investments, guiding public policy, and ensuring the availability of the resources required to sustain an increasingly electrified and efficient energy system. Figure 1 - Global Copper Supply and Demand Projection Toward 2050 Source: adapted from BloombergNEF (2023), Transition Metals Outlook 2023. 2. SCOPE This study evaluates the impact of implementing ore sorting technology on the optimization of reserves in a large-scale copper deposit. The scope includes the definition and modeling of the operating parameters of the sorting process, mass pull, upgrade factors, and recoveries, the determination of the economic cut-off grade associated with the process, and a direct comparison with current ore classification practices based on the Net Smelter Return, NSR, indicator. Based on these elements, the analysis extends the tonne–grade curve of the reserve model to quantify the additional tonne that can be incorporated into the Life of Mine, LOM, plan by reducing the NSR cut-off from 17 $/t to 10.5 $/t and increasing grades by 71% for Cu, 116% for Zn, 101% for Ag, and 6% for Mo.
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