More than 600 leaders from across the copper industry will converge on Adelaide this week as growing global demand, supply pressures and the strategic importance of copper put renewed focus on how the world will secure the copper it needs.
Taking place at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 2–3 September, Copper to the World 2026 will bring together mining companies, METS, government, investors and researchers to tackle the practical challenge of turning growing demand into new discoveries, projects and production.
With a sold-out exhibition floor and more than 35 organisations represented, the conference will focus on the investment, technology, innovation and collaboration needed to deliver the next generation of copper supply.
Hosted by Austmine in partnership with the Government of South Australia, Department for Energy and Mining, Copper to the World 2026 will explore the theme Powering the Future.
The conference will open with The Hon. Tom Koutsantonis MP, Minister for Energy and Mining, followed by an opening keynote from Anna Wiley, Asset President Copper South Australia, BHP.
They will be joined across the two days by senior leaders from across mining, METS, investment and research, including Sandfire, Sandvik, International Copper Association, CRU, Resource Capital Funds, CSIRO, Fleet Space Technologies and Ausenco.
Discussions will span copper markets and investment, exploration and project development, underground mining, downstream processing and digital transformation, with a strong focus on the technologies and partnerships needed to accelerate the next generation of copper projects.
Austmine CEO Tony Davis said the challenge for the industry was increasingly shifting from understanding future demand to determining how that demand will be met.
“We know the world is going to need significantly more copper in the decades ahead. The real challenge is turning that demand into new discoveries, viable projects and the processing capacity to bring supply online, no single part of the industry can solve that alone. It will take miners, METS companies, government, researchers and investors working together to accelerate innovation, unlock investment and build the capability to convert copper into value, not just export it. Copper to the World is where those conversations happen, and where the partnerships to turn ideas into action get built.”
Chief Executive of South Australia’s Department for Energy & Mining Paul Martyn PSM said global events of recent years had shone a spotlight on the importance of coordination and collaboration in ensuring sustainable economic development.
“Copper has rapidly emerged as one of the most strategically significant commodities of the coming decade, and recent global events have highlighted the importance of collaboration with trusted partners to build secure and resilient global supply chains. As the strategic importance of copper deepens collaboration a across industry and government has never been more important. Copper to the World is an opportunity to strengthen those connections and help shape the future of the sector.”
The global copper market and investment outlook will be a major focus of the conference, alongside exploration, new project development and the challenge of attracting capital to the next wave of copper projects.
Technology and innovation will also take centre stage, with sessions exploring advances in automation, AI, robotics, digital transformation, underground mining and lower-emissions processing.
Innovation Hour will put emerging solutions directly in the spotlight, with six finalists pitching technologies and new approaches designed to improve how copper is discovered, mined, processed and managed. The winning innovation will be announced on the final afternoon of the conference.
Copper to the World 2026 will conclude with industry leaders looking ahead to what it will take to develop the next generation of copper mines responsibly, rapidly and at scale.
