India Needs 500,000 Tonnes Additional Refined Copper Every Five Years

10 Jul 2026 CW Team

International Copper Association India (ICA India) managing director Mayur Karmarkar said that India would require roughly 500,000 t of additional refined copper capacity every five years to meet rising demand. He said copper demand was likely to track overall GDP growth and that the association was anticipating around nine per cent growth over 2026. The statement highlighted the scale of investment needed in refining and smelting infrastructure.

On the supply side, he said that restarting Hindustan Copper's secondary smelter and Hindalco's new secondary smelter would add about 100,000 t of capacity, which remained small against total demand of about 1.8 mn t. He noted that these additions would ease supply marginally but would not close the gap between production and consumption. Sustained capacity additions would be necessary to meet long term needs.

He said domestic cathode availability would improve as smelter-refinery capacities expanded and that Hindalco's expansion and Kutch Copper's capacity coming on stream would make more cathode available for domestic conversion. The increase in cathode availability was described as supportive of downstream manufacturing in key sectors. Nonetheless, he warned that even with these projects the country would remain a net importer of refined copper without further large investments.

The association's data showed that India's copper demand grew nine point three per cent to 1.878 mn t in FY25 from 1.718 mn t in FY24, driven by robust economic activity and wider adoption across sectors. He said that under the current trajectory supply would need to chase demand and that planning for an additional 500,000 t every five years was essential. The assessment called for coordinated industry and government action to mobilise investment.

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