Overview
- Roque Benavides of Compañía de Minas Buenaventura says supply may not meet global copper demand in five to six years.
- He attributes the risk primarily to slow permitting and regulatory bottlenecks across jurisdictions, arguing bureaucracy is not the solution.
- Accelerating demand from electrification, electric vehicles, renewable energy and decarbonization underpins the projected gap.
- He warns that failing to bring new projects into production could undermine energy security and economic growth.
- He points to the World Mining Congress 2026 in Lima on June 24–26 as a venue for governments and industry to tackle permitting and supply constraints.