Group 1 - The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) held a meeting on April 25, 2025, in Lisbon, Portugal, discussing key issues affecting the global copper market [2] - Global copper mine production is expected to grow by 2.3% in 2025, reaching 23.5 million tons, driven by expansions in Kamoa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Oyu Tolgoi (Mongolia), along with the new Malmyz mine (Russia) [3] - In 2026, global copper mine production is projected to increase by 2.5%, supported by ongoing expansions and improvements in production from Chile and Zambia [4] Group 2 - Global refined copper production is anticipated to grow by approximately 2.9% in 2025, with support from capacity expansions in China and new capacities in Indonesia, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo [5] - Primary electrolytic refined production is expected to increase by 3%, while secondary production from scrap is projected to grow by 2.2% in 2025 [6] - In 2026, global refined copper production is expected to decline by 1.5%, primarily due to limited supply of concentrates, despite growth in wet smelting and secondary production [6] Group 3 - Global apparent refined copper usage is projected to grow by about 2.4% in 2025 and by 1.8% in 2026, with a downward adjustment from previous forecasts due to uncertainties in international trade policies [8][9] - China’s refined copper usage is expected to grow by approximately 2% in 2025 and 0.8% in 2026, while Asia remains the main driver of global growth [10] - The overall global usage is expected to benefit from improvements in key copper end-use sectors, energy transition, urbanization, and digitalization [10] Group 4 - The global refined copper balance is forecasted to show a surplus of approximately 289,000 tons in 2025 and about 209,000 tons in 2026 [11][12] - The surplus forecast for 2025 is higher than the previous estimate of 194,000 tons, indicating potential changes in production and usage dynamics [12] - ICSG acknowledges that unforeseen developments may alter the actual market balance compared to predictions [11]