Copper Mines and Projects Worldwide
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
These are the named copper mines and development projects on official lists: the European Commission's strategic projects and the US Permitting Council's FAST-41 lists. Being on a list means a project gets permitting support, not that it is producing.
490 cents/lb
US producer, cathode (COMEX + premium) in 2025 (+6% on 2024)
Which copper projects are on official lists?
| Project | Country | Promoter | Stage | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUPIDON | Belgium | Comet Traitements | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| OREON (Optimal REcycling Of Nickel) | Belgium | Umicore | Processing | EU, October 2026 |
| Tankhouse Expansion Pirdop | Bulgaria | Aurubis Bulgaria AD | Processing | EU, October 2026 |
| Hautalampi Cobalt-Nickel-Copper Mine Project | Finland | FinnCobalt Oy | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| Project Fortum Hydromet | Finland | Fortum Battery Recycling Oy | Recycling | EU, March 2025 |
| Sakatti | Finland | Anglo American Services (UK) Ltd. | Integrated | EU, March 2025 |
| Suhanko project | Finland | Suhanko Arctic Platinum Oy | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| GALLICAM | France | Sibanye-Stillwater Sandouville Refinery | Processing | EU, March 2025 |
| EU BEST STRAT | Germany | cylib Production I GmbH | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Second TBRC Lünen | Germany | Aurubis AG | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| ETEOCLES | Greece | ElvalHalcor Hellenic Copper and Aluminium industry S.A. | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Skouries Project | Greece | Hellas Gold S.A. | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| 9PV-up | Italy | 9-Tech | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| RECOVER-IT | Italy | Circular Materials s.r.l. | Recycling | EU, March 2025 |
| REW-ITA green HUB (tungsten recovery) | Italy | OMCD TEK HUB S.p.A. | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Myne Circular Metals Harderwijk | Netherlands | Myne Circular Metals B.V | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Urban Mining Factory - Printed Circuit Boards | Netherlands | CRITICAL. (owner of Circular Industries) | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Nussir | Norway | Nussir ASA | Extraction | Outside the EU, June 2025 |
| Integrated Recycling Smelter | Poland | KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| POLVOLT | Poland | Elemental Battery Metals SP. z.o.o. | Recycling | EU, March 2025 |
| Retków-Grodziszcze copper deposit | Poland | KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| Urban mining (TDM Electronics) | Poland | TDM Electronics Inc. | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
| Lombador North Phase 2, Semblana and 3rd SILO | Portugal | SOMINCOR | Integrated | EU, March 2025 |
| Rovina | Romania | Euro Sun Mining Inc. | Extraction | EU, March 2025 |
| Aguablanca project | Spain | Rio Narcea Recursos S.A. | Extraction | EU, March 2025 |
| CirCular | Spain | Atlantic Copper SLU | Recycling | EU, March 2025 |
| Cobre San Rafael Project | Spain | Cobre San Rafael, S.L. | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| Polymetallic primary sulphide project | Spain | Cobre las Cruces S.A.U. | Integrated | EU, March 2025 |
| Viscaria Copper Project | Sweden | Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria | Extraction | EU, October 2026 |
| 3ECYCLE | Netherlands | Mitsubishi Materials Europe B.V | Recycling | EU, October 2026 |
Source: annexes to Commission Decisions C(2025) 1904, C(2025) 3491 and C(2026) 8051. The Commission calls every listed project ongoing; that is not the same as operating. A project is listed here for each material the annex names for it.
| Project | State | Expected products | List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikolai Nickel Project | Alaska | Nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, copper, chromium (advanced exploration) | Transparency |
| NorthMet Project | Minnesota | Copper and nickel-copper concentrates | Transparency |
| Blue Copper | Montana | Copper, tungsten, gold, zinc, gallium and germanium | Transparency |
| Bend Project | Wisconsin | Copper and gold with tellurium (exploration drilling) | Transparency |
| Resolution Copper Project | Arizona | Copper and molybdenum | Transparency |
| Antler Copper Project | Arizona | Copper | Transparency |
| Bronco Creek Exploration Project | Arizona | Copper, lead and zinc (exploration) | Transparency |
| Arctic Project | Alaska | Copper, zinc and lead | Covered |
| Contango Ore Johnson Tract Critical Metals Project | Alaska | Copper, zinc, gold, silver and lead | Covered |
| Doe Run | Missouri | Lead, zinc and copper | Transparency |
Source: Permitting Council, current covered projects and current transparency projects, last updated 2 April 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is copper used for?
Copper is used in building construction, electrical and electronic products and transportation equipment. Building construction: 42% of US copper and copper alloy use.
Which country produces the most copper?
Chile produces the most copper: an estimated 5,300 kt, or 23% of the world total, in 2025, according to the USGS mine production figures.
Is copper a critical mineral?
Yes. Copper is on the US, EU (critical and strategic) and Canadian critical minerals lists. The United States added copper to its list in November 2025, when the final list grew from 50 to 60 minerals. US net import reliance for copper in 2025 was 57%.
How much does copper cost?
USGS reports the average 2025 price of copper at 490 cents/lb (US producer, cathode (COMEX + premium); +6% on 2024).
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Copper. Production, reserves, uses, substitutes, recycling and events
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: introduction (Table 7 and Figures 10A and 10B). Net import reliance, leading producer and price changes for critical minerals
- Federal Register: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Australia’s Critical Minerals List and Strategic Materials List
- Government of Canada: Canada’s critical minerals
- Permitting Council: current FAST-41 projects
- Codelco: 2025 results release (27 March 2026)
- Codelco: measures after deviations in 2025 production were detected, in Spanish (20 May 2026)
- Codelco: new indications of over-reporting between 2024 and 2025 under investigation, in Spanish (6 October 2026)
- Freeport-McMoRan, Form 10-K for 2025 (filed 13 February 2026)
- BHP: operational review for the year ended 30 June 2026 (Form 6-K, 16 July 2026)
- Glencore: full year 2025 production report (29 January 2026)
- Southern Copper: fourth quarter 2025 results release (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K, 27 January 2026)
- CMOC Group: 2025 annual report (HKEXnews, 1 April 2026)
Related topics
Copper: full profile
Uses, producers, price, substitutes and critical list status for copper.
Chile profile
Production, policy and projects in Chile.
Critical Minerals Lists Compared
The US, EU, Australian and Canadian lists side by side.
Export Controls and Restrictions
China, Indonesia, DR Congo and other measures with dates.
Aluminum
Profile of aluminum.
Lead
Profile of lead.
