More than half of the world's copper goes to China, but demand still outstrips supply
The contradiction between supply and demand of copper resources in China is prominent.
Although China has abundant copper resources, it still needs to import a large amount of copper concentrate every year to meet domestic demand, which is obviously a microcosm of the prominent contradiction between supply and demand of copper resources in China. With the introduction and implementation of China's carbon neutrality goal, the demand for copper in the clean energy, industrial and automotive industries continues to rise, especially in renewable energy systems, and the utilization rate of copper far exceeds that of traditional energy production systems. Photovoltaic and wind power are the main forms of renewable energy, and the amount of copper used per megawatt is staggering, which directly leads to the rapid growth of copper demand in the country. In addition, the use of copper is also indispensable in the industrial and transportation sectors, and the increase in new energy vehicles will also increase the demand for copper. Therefore, although China's copper reserves are high, it is still difficult to meet the huge domestic demand, which is the main reason why China has to import a large amount of copper resources.
Analysis of proven copper resources in China.
Although China's copper reserves rank sixth in the world, the development of copper resources is difficult and relatively expensive due to the poor quality of China's copper deposits, many poor ores and few rich ores. The average grade of copper ore in China is only 087%, which is even lower than the level of copper mines in South America. In addition, among the large deposits with copper reserves of more than 2.5 million tons in China, only a few mines have a certain profitability, and the mining difficulty does not match the economic value. It is worth mentioning that the ** area is one of the most abundant places in China with copper resources, and the Duolong copper mine cluster is considered to be China's first world-class super copper ore cluster, with an amazing amount of copper metal and high average grade, but due to the particularity of the geographical environment and the existence of protected animals, the mining of copper resources is facing severe challenges. Therefore, despite China's abundant copper reserves, the current mining process is limited and cannot effectively meet the domestic copper demand.
Balance between environmental protection and resource exploitation.
In the development of copper resources in China, environmental protection has always been an important factor that needs to be balanced and considered. In particular, the copper resources located in the nature reserve, such as the **Duolong copper mine catchment area, the ecological damage and environmental impact of mining are particularly prominent. The Tibetan Plateau is one of China's precious natural ecosystems, so copper mining must be treated with caution to avoid irreversible damage to local biodiversity and ecosystems. In recent years, the excessive exploitation of mineral resources in some places has led to serious ecological and environmental problems, such as illegal mining of sand and gravel in grasslands, resulting in grassland ecosystems that are almost impossible to repair. Therefore, in the process of developing and utilizing copper resources, China should pay more attention to the balance between the protection of the ecological environment and the development of resources, and take scientific planning and effective measures to ensure the sustainable use of resources and the sustainable development of the ecological environment.
Summary. Although China is rich in copper reserves, the contradiction between supply and demand of domestic copper resources is prominent due to the poor quality of ore deposits and uneven distribution of resources. In the context of vigorously developing clean energy, industrial electrification and new energy vehicles, China's demand for copper is increasing, and the mining of domestic copper resources faces the problem of balancing environmental protection and resource utilization. In the future, China needs to actively promote scientific and technological innovation, improve the efficiency of mineral resource exploitation and environmental protection, and realize a virtuous cycle of sustainable utilization of resources and sustainable economic and social development while protecting the ecological environment.