The copper pivot: BHP looks beyond the Iron Age
From The Fin by Australian Financial Review
March 4, 2026 · 26 min · Season 5 · Episode 7
About this episode
This episode discusses the challenges facing Australia's iron ore industry and the rising prominence of copper in mining.
This week, resources reporter Peter Ker on the challenges ahead for Australia’s iron ore industry, why copper is booming and what miners are doing to ensure the country remains a resources powerhouse. This podcast is sponsored by Aussie Broadband Further reading: Iron ore giants face billion-dollar hit from China-backed price switch A new index for the country’s most lucrative export has been lower than the long-time benchmark for the vast majority of days since it was launched this year. Size counts in mining’s game of relevance, but not that much Glencore BHP and Rio shares are at record highs and their bosses are being courted at the White House. So how can Glencore boss Gary Nagle say they’re irrelevant? Copper displaces iron ore as BHP’s best earner, supercharging profits The Big Australian, like its rivals, pivoted towards commodities critical to the energy transition, with production of the red metal to grow 25 per cent by 2035. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Guest: Peter Ker
Topics covered
- iron ore industry
- copper market
- mining challenges
- energy transition
- Australian resources
Keywords
- BHP
- copper
- iron ore
- mining
- Australia
- resources
- energy transition
Sponsors
Aussie Broadband
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BHP, Glencore, Rio
Books & works: Iron ore giants face billion-dollar hit from China-backed price switch, Size counts in mining’s game of relevance, but not that much, Copper displaces iron ore as BHP’s best earner, supercharging profits
Places: Australia
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