The definitive platform on copper in Argentina.
A gathering unique in its field, backed by the sector's leading companies and institutions, connecting the people who shape the country's copper development edition after edition.
The Profile of Those Attending Argentina Copper.
A diversified audience spanning the key segments of Argentina's copper ecosystem, from project development and government to technology, services and capital.
Audience Composition
- 41%
Mining Suppliers & Solution Providers
Technology, engineering, equipment and specialized services.
- 20%
Public Sector & Technical Organizations
National and provincial governments, regulators and institutions.
- 17%
Mining Companies & Projects
Companies engaged in exploration, development, construction and future operations.
- 8%
International Delegations & Organizations
Embassies, business chambers and multilateral institutions.
- 8%
Capital & Finance
Banks, investment funds, credit agencies and financial institutions.
- 6%
Consulting, Research & Media
Specialized firms, analysts and industry media.
of the audience is made up of companies, suppliers and investment-related stakeholders.
World-Class Projects.
Major mining hubs and future large-scale operations attracting global attention. Argentina is once again on the radar of major investors.
| Project | Province | Status | CAPEX (USD M) | Total resources (kt) | Grade (% Cu) | Ownership | Est. start | Mine life | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altar | San Juan | Preliminary Economic Assessment | 1,593 | 14,456kt | 0.43% |
| 2030 | 45 years | Concentrate |
| El Pachón | San Juan | Feasibility | 9,460 | 25,400kt | 0.47% |
| 2034 | 24 years | Concentrate |
| Filo del Sol * | San Juan | Pre-Feasibility | 1,805 | 31,746kt | 0.41% |
| 2032 | 13 years | Concentrate / Cathodes |
| Josemaría * | San Juan | Construction | 4,061 | 6,210kt | 0.28% |
| 2030 | 19 years | Concentrate |
| Los Azules | San Juan | Feasibility | 3,168 | 11,521kt | 0.40% |
| 2030 | 28 years | Cathodes |
| MARA | Catamarca | Feasibility | 4,000 | 6,150kt | 0.47% |
| 2031 | 23 years | Concentrate |
| San Jorge (PSJ Cobre Mendocino) | Mendoza | Pre-Feasibility | 559 | 1,199kt | 0.48% |
| 2029 | 16 years | Concentrate |
| Taca Taca | Salta | Feasibility | 5,251 | 9,105kt | 0.43% |
| 2030 | 32 years | Concentrate |
| Alumbrera Reopening | Catamarca | Care & Maintenance | 230 | — | — |
| 2028 | 4 years | Concentrate |
*Filo del Sol and Josemaría jointly form the Vicuña District, a 50/50 partnership between Lundin Mining Corporation and BHP Group Corp. Resource and CAPEX figures are reported individually for each project, as provided by the source.
Source: Argentina's National Mining Secretariat · DNPYM · 2026 Project Portfolio (2nd Half) · Ministry of Economy, Republic of Argentina.
Argentina's Copper. Present and Future.
Exploration projects shaping the country's development pipeline.
- CAPEX** USD 42.2B Total investment across the portfolio
- Resources & reserves*** 117.9 Mt Cu Resources
- 19.97 Mt Cu Reserves
- Potential production*** 1.6 Mt/year Estimated with the full portfolio in operation
Projects with ongoing technical studies and defined potential
- Barro Negro
- Brealito
- Cerro Atajo
- Cerro Socompa
- Chachas
- La Ortiga
- Marcelo
- Mogotes
- Prospecto Arizaro
- Río Cenicero
- Río Grande
- Río Salinas
- Santa Inés
- Sapo y otras
- Valle de Chita
Prospects in early stages of geological assessment
- Aguas Amargas
- Caballos
- Casualidad III
- Cerro Amarillo
- Cerro Negro
- Cerro Samenta
- Coipita
- Custodio
- El Salto
- Elena
- Encrucijada
- Estela
- Ex Mina Frusso
- Francisco Cornejo
- Hortencia
- Huaico Hondo
- Juramento
- Las Flechas
- Los Cardones
- Los Colorados
- Lunahuasi
- Minas Futuro
- Nivaldo
- Pancho Arias
- Peñas Negras
- Piuquenes
- Prospecto Las Burras
- Punilla
- Rincones de Araya
- Rosario
- San Francisco
- San Francisco II
- San Isidro
- San José de Chañi
- San Roque
- Saturno
- Valcheta
- Vampiro
- Vizcacheral
** Total estimated CAPEX for Argentina's active copper project portfolio, including advanced and exploration-stage projects.
*** Resources and reserves according to NI 43-101 and JORC 2012 standards. Potential production estimated with the full portfolio in operation. Altar is not included in the advanced exploration category, as it was incorporated into the advanced-project table.
Source: Argentina's National Mining Secretariat · DNPYM · 2026 Project Portfolio · Ministry of Economy, Republic of Argentina.
Demand Is Not the Problem. New Copper Supply Is.
The supply gap is becoming increasingly critical as ore grades decline, project costs rise and new developments slow. Copper cannot be quickly replaced, developed or financed without predictability. This is where Argentina is emerging as one of the major opportunities. The time? Now.
Copper Is Back at the Center of Decision-Making.
- 30%
Implied copper deficit by 2035 under the IEA STEPS scenario.
- 2035
The year announced projects are no longer enough to meet demand.
- AI + ENERGY
Power grids, data centers, electrification, industry and construction are driving the metal's agenda.
Source: Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, International Energy Agency.
The Metal of the Transition.
Copper Has No Substitute at Scale.
Copper is the second-most conductive metal after silver, but the only one available at the scale required to electrify the world. Every technology scaling today, from renewables and electric vehicles to power grids and artificial intelligence, requires more copper.
- EVs vs. internal combustion vehicles ×4 Cu
An electric vehicle uses approximately 83 kg of copper, compared with around 20 kg in an internal combustion vehicle.
CRU Group / Wood Mackenzie
- Offshore wind power 11 t/MW
An offshore wind turbine contains between 8 and 15 tonnes of copper across generators, cables and transformers.
S&P Global / SFA Oxford
- Solar PV 5.5 t/MW
Solar farms require copper for wiring, inverters, transformers and grid connection systems.
IEA / S&P Global
- AI & data centers ×30,000 homes
A large AI data center can require as much electricity, and copper, as 30,000 homes. Demand is relatively price-inelastic.
S&P Global (2025) / Wood Mackenzie
S&P Global — Copper in the Age of AI: Challenges of Electrification (2026)
Wood Mackenzie — High-wire act: soaring copper demand (Oct. 2025)
CRU Group — Copper Demand by End-Use (2025)
SFA (Oxford) — The Copper Market (2025)
The Four Drivers of Structural Demand
- Base demand
Construction, appliances, industry, conventional transport and power generation. 23 Mt by 2040, representing 53% of projected global demand.
- Energy transition
Electric vehicles, battery storage, renewable energy and power grids. +7 Mt by 2040. The largest source of absolute demand growth.
- AI & data centers
AI could consume an additional 2,200 TWh of electricity by 2035. The associated grid infrastructure alone could lift copper demand by 1.1 Mt/year by 2030.
- Global defense
Defense spending could double to USD 6 trillion annually by 2040. AI and defense combined represent +4 Mt of additional structural demand.
Supply and Demand — A Structural Gap.
Demand Is No Longer Waiting. Supply Is.
The IEA warns of a 30% deficit by 2035 under current policies. S&P Global projects a 10 Mt shortfall by 2040. The copper the world needs is not yet being developed.
- Global demand 2025 28 Mt Cu
Total mine production in 2025: 23 Mt. Recycling currently helps bridge the gap.
USGS / ICSG 2026
- Projected demand 2040 42 Mt Cu
+50% vs. 2025. Mine production peaks at a projected 33 Mt around 2030 before declining.
S&P Global — Copper in the Age of AI (Jan. 2026)
- Projected deficit 2040 −10 Mt Cu
25% below projected demand, even after accounting for doubled recycling (+4 Mt → 10 Mt).
S&P Global (Jan. 2026) / IEA (Jul. 2026)
Demand growth is being driven by several forces at once: electrification of energy systems, expansion of power grids, electric vehicles, data centers and AI infrastructure, alongside an unprecedented increase in global defense spending.
The deficit is not a distant-future problem. The IEA notes that only 5% of copper deposits discovered over the past 35 years were found in the last decade, while average project development timelines are now 17 years from discovery to production.
On the supply side, structural pressures are intensifying: average ore grades have declined by 40% since 1991, capital intensity for brownfield expansions has risen by 65% since 2020, and concentration in China, which controls 45% of global refining capacity, adds geopolitical risk.
IEA — Copper prices hit record highs, but smelters face mounting pressures (Jul. 2026)
IEA — Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 (May 2025)
S&P Global — Copper in the Age of AI: Challenges of Electrification (Jan. 2026)
USGS — Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
ICSG — Copper Bulletin (2026)
Wood Mackenzie — Copper Supply Investment Outlook (2025)
BHP — Annual Report & Resources Briefing (2025)
The Four Drivers of the Deficit
- Declining ore grades
Average grades at major copper deposits have fallen 40% since 1991. Lower grades mean more energy and higher costs for every tonne of copper produced.
- 17-year lead time
From discovery to production, projects take an average of 17 years. The copper the world will need in 2035 should already be under exploration today.
- Fewer discoveries
Only 5% of deposits discovered over the past 35 years were found in the last decade. The project pipeline is not being replenished fast enough.
- Insufficient capital
Wood Mackenzie estimates that more than USD 210 billion in mining investment will be required to meet demand through 2035. Current investment levels fall short.
Argentina Has What the World Needs.
A Leading Player in the Era of Energy Transition Minerals.
With an average 17-year lead time for copper projects, the investment decisions that will shape supply in 2040 are being made today. Argentina is in that race.
- 0.45% Average grade of Argentine projects Competitive with the global average
- ~20 Mt Cu National copper reserves 1.8% of the global total (USGS)
- 2028 First project expected in production Alumbrera Restart
- 1.6 Mt Potential production by 2035 6.1% of global production · National Mining Secretariat
- >USD 17.0B Projected copper exports by 2035 annually · DNPYM 2026
Argentina has not produced copper at scale since the closure of Bajo la Alumbrera in 2018. That nearly decade-long gap is now approaching its end.
The current portfolio of nine advanced projects, representing more than USD 30 billion in aggregate CAPEX, positions the country as a potential major contributor to the next generation of global copper supply. Its competitive edge lies in world-class porphyry deposits, competitive grades, mining provinces with developing infrastructure and a regulatory framework that has advanced significantly with the RIGI.
Against the structural deficit projected by the IEA and S&P Global, few countries with a portfolio of this scale have an opportunity today that is unlikely to be repeated for decades. The question is no longer whether Argentine copper has a market. The question is how quickly the country can move from resources to production.
National Mining Secretariat – DNPM, 2026 Project Portfolio
USGS – Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (global reserves)
S&P Global – Copper in the Age of AI (Jan. 2026)
IEA – Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025
CAEM – Mining Export Projections 2026–2035 (May 2026)
Panorama Minero – RIGI Coverage and Approvals (2025–2026)