The Future of Copper Mining: Strategy and Sustainability in the Energy Transition

In this episode, we chat with Joachim Braun, Global Division President, Process Industries, at ABB, to explore the future of copper mining and its critical role in the global energy transition. With copper demand forecast to significantly outpace supply by 2035, the mining industry faces both enormous opportunity and intense pressure. We discuss how companies are adapting strategies, the sector’s responsibility for global emissions, and the path to net zero. Joachim shares insights from ABB’s research with 400+ mining leaders, highlighting barriers to progress, the importance of incremental innovation, and where miners can seize low-hanging fruit to drive real impact. From aligning production with sustainability to building future-ready operations, this conversation unpacks the strategies that will define the next generation of copper mining. KEY TAKEAWAYS Copper demand is forecasted to significantly outpace supply by 2035, driven by the energy transition and decarbonisation efforts, requiring the industry to accelerate the development of new deposits and increase extraction from existing assets. The sector's biggest sustainability challenge comes from extraction processes, primarily fuel-powered mining vehicles, which can be electrified with commercially viable solutions that also offer better performance, higher speed, and increased throughput. The most effective strategy for aligning production and sustainability goals involves incremental innovation, such as replacing diesel gensets with solar panels over time, rather than a "big bang" implementation, as this is more suited to the industry's long asset lifecycles and risk-averse mindset. Future-ready copper mining operations will be defined by full end-to-end electrification and digital integration, allowing for remote operation centres, predictive maintenance, and integrated planning BEST MOMENTS "The good news is that there are solutions, not only available, but becoming even more and more commercially viable without any legislative interventions into the market." "The challenge is that the lead time to develop copper deposits is incredibly long. It is longer than most legislators would imagine." "The worst thing what could happen is that with the aim of decarbonisation you basically end up with production losses, loss of competitiveness... whoever has the most efficient way of producing is basically winning the race." "If you bring this together, you already get a lot of benefits without really changing the way you operate, without massive investments." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ X:              ⁠https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson⁠  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast⁠  Web:        ⁠http://www.mining-international.org⁠ GUEST SOCIALS  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachim-braun-ba59654/  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/abb-process-automation/  https://www.youtube.com/abbmining CONTACT METHOD ⁠rob@mining-international.org⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/⁠ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.  This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/