Operational recovery will drive Australia’s copper production growth in 2026

GlobalData

Mon, December 22, 2025 astatine 5:49 AM CST 2 min read

Australia’s copper accumulation is forecast to diminution successful 2025, falling to 710 kilotonnes (kt), chiefly owed to operational disruptions astatine cardinal mines. The imperishable closure of the Mount Isa mine, ongoing sheet cave improvement astatine Cadia, waste-stripping activities astatine Boddington, and scheduled attraction shutdowns astatine Ernest Henry are expected to constrain output. These challenges are compounded by ore depletion astatine mature mines specified arsenic Nova Bollinger, Osborne, and Deflector, which volition collectively measurement connected the country’s copper production.

In 2026, copper output is projected to retrieve arsenic operating conditions normalise and large mines instrumentality to steady-state production. Cadia and Boddington are expected to resume regular output pursuing the completion of improvement and attraction activities portion the Whim Creek task is scheduled to commence operations successful precocious 2026, providing incremental enactment to nationalist supply. The betterment volition besides beryllium underpinned by improving operational ratio crossed existing assets, arsenic superior programmes implemented during 2024–2025 statesman to present productivity gains. Beyond 2026, Australia’s copper accumulation outlook remains positive, supported by a robust pipeline of brownfield expansions and greenfield developments. Through to 2035, output maturation volition beryllium driven by projects backed by important superior commitments from large producers, including BHP, with expansions astatine the Olympic Dam and different mines supporting sustained medium- to semipermanent proviso growth.

Overall, Australia’s copper accumulation is forecast to turn astatine a CAGR of 7.3% betwixt 2025 and 2035, reaching 1,432.7kt by the extremity of the period. Growth done the forecast play volition beryllium supported by the commissioning of projects specified arsenic the Nifty unfastened pit, Jervois Copper, Cadia Expansion 2, Elizabeth Creek, and the large-scale Eva Copper project, reinforcing Australia’s presumption arsenic a cardinal planetary copper supplier amid rising energy-transition-driven demand.

"Operational betterment volition thrust Australia’s copper accumulation maturation successful 2026" was primitively created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.