Zahra Habib
The copper was opened in 2025 at the level of $ 3.99 for a pound, but it soon started a rise in the first quarter of the year, driven by an increase in global demand, and unprecedented attention from the emerging sectors such as renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles. Trade tensions, especially in the United States, contributed to accelerating the high prices, after US President Donald Trump imposed customs duties of 25% on all imports Copper, in an attempt to support local production.
The renewable energy sector is witnessing a heavy use of copper, as the copper development association indicates that solar installations need 5.5 million metric tons of copper per megawatts of productive capacity, while wild wind turbines need 3.52 million metric tons, and marine wind turbines to 9.56 million metric tons.
On the other hand, the estimates of the company “Travingora” indicate that the data centers based on artificial intelligence may add one million metric tons of additional demand for copper by 2030, in light of the growth of this technology globally, according to an economic report published on the “InvestingNews.com” platform recently.
The electric car sector plays a main role in the demand for demand, as sales of electric cars increased in 2024 by 25% compared to the previous year, and continued to rise in the first two months of 2025 by 30%.
While electric cars consume large quantities of copper, as the hybrid electric car needs about 40 kilograms, which can be recharged to 55 kilograms, while the battery -run electric car reaches 80 kilograms, and the electric buses reach 253 kilograms, compared to only 22 kilograms in traditional cars.
Despite the high demand, the global width of copper faces great obstacles, most notably the decline in the quality of raw materials in the major mines, and the slowdown of the discovery of new mines during the last decade.
A report issued by the International Energy Forum «IEF) indicates that the world may need to operate 194 new mine by 2050 to meet the demand related to the transformation in the energy sector.
All of these factors prompted the price of copper to record its highest level ever last March, at a time when the markets began to interact with the expectations of supplies, and to increase the need for red metal as a strategic material in the new global economy.
The CEO of Al -Fateh Group, Jassem Al -Mousawi, stressed that the imposition of the new tax on copper metal, which also applies on Bahraini aluminum, reflects a clear trend towards equality in the tax treatment of the main minerals used in various industrial sectors.
Al -Mousawi said: “It is normal to witness a gradual increase in the demand for copper, along with aluminum, as a direct result of this tax. Many of the concerned authorities have begun to study alternative options and sources to secure their needs from these materials, which may lead to a slight move in prices during the coming period.”
He added, “We closely follow the developments, and we expect that the increase in prices will be limited and gradient, and not immediate, and we hope that this stage will contribute to the balance of the market, and to alleviate the effects of the current crisis in a way that reflects positively on various sectors.”
