{"id":771695,"date":"2026-02-17T06:14:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=771695"},"modified":"2026-02-25T05:41:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:41:48","slug":"copper-restart","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart","title":{"rendered":"A Coveted Metal for an Electrified Future"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[295082,164662,489232,238001],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-771695","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-mining","tag-natural-resources","tag-operations-management","tag-site-selection","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"Across the natural resources industry, companies are exploring old sites and new ideas to power an electrifying economy.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Arizona\u2019s copper belt is dotted with dormant mines that date back more than a century, remnants of an era when the state became synonymous with US copper production. Today, those legacy sites are drawing fresh attention as demand for copper surges with the country\u2019s push toward greater electrification."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Snapshot<\/strong>: The business risk of restarting a dormant operation\u2014in mining or other resource-intensive industries\u2014can be significant. To lessen the risk, well-known brands are turning to location analytics.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Miners are keen to answer that demand, but opening a greenfield mine typically requires a comprehensive environmental review and can involve extensive community outreach. Timelines can stretch beyond a decade.\r\n\r\nBy contrast, reopening a closed mine can take as little as two to four years and typically draws less public scrutiny.\r\n\r\nThis has mining firms considering new approaches to old mines. The <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/finance\/commodities-futures\/can-arizona-miners-unleash-an-american-copper-boom-982638ff\">reports<\/a> that some companies are recovering copper from piles of waste rock left at mines closed years ago. The process, called bioleaching, uses acid and microbes to surface usable copper.\r\n\r\nThe appeal is easy to see. Not only is reopening a closed mine faster; if the roads and facilities are still in good condition, it requires less capital investment. According to <em>WSJ<\/em>, if bioleaching works, companies plan to scale it at sites where favorable geology and existing roads and facilities shorten the path to new production.\r\n<h3><strong>Taming Variables for Mine Site Selection and Adjacent Projects <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMining companies and other natural resources firms have long faced site selection challenges that demand sophisticated analysis. Top companies solve these challenges with geographic information system (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">GIS<\/a>) technology, using it to gauge investment risks, evaluate potential ROI, and speed up business decisions.\r\n\r\nConsider the race to build AI data centers. Competition for land is fierce, and site requirements are exacting. A data center needs access to reliable power, water for cooling, fiber connectivity, and a skilled workforce\u2014all in a location compatible with environmental regulations. Tech companies often team up with engineering firms, using GIS analysis to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/ai-and-data-centers\">quickly narrow thousands of possibilities<\/a> to a handful of high-potential sites."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ The natural resources companies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/fast-four-supplying-demand\">serving 8 billion people<\/a>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Getting to \u201cno\u201d quickly can provide a competitive edge, since companies that eliminate unsuitable sites can focus resources on a shortlist of candidates. Decision-makers can inspect GIS maps for risks and opportunities, identifying where a soil type might pose a structural risk and which areas have the labor pool required for a given operation.\r\n\r\nWith a GIS-generated digital twin, or interactive 3D model of the land and its environs, developers can test the viability and cost of plans before committing to a project\u2014whether that\u2019s a greenfield site or a dormant operation. On interactive maps, planners can collaborate on cost assessments, design choices, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/gammon-digital-twin\">construction workflows<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>Aligning Demand to Capacity on a Map<\/strong>\r\n\r\nEnergy producers face challenges similar to those of miners\u2014especially when it comes to deciding where a resource can be developed profitably. In both cases, industry leaders routinely make their business case with the help of location analysis.\r\n\r\nLike miners evaluating old operations for possible restarts, wind energy firms already know where their resource is\u2014GIS maps show where conditions are right to harness the power of airflow. The trick is identifying the site with the best energy distribution potential. For <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/wind-energy-lifecycle\">one industry leader<\/a>, that means reviewing maps showing high-voltage transmission lines near wind-rich areas. As the firm\u2019s VP of development told <em>WhereNext<\/em>, \u201cThese insights provide real-time information that helps us make smart investments.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor a copper miner searching for second-life sites, location analysis might focus on infrastructure and compliance. Smart maps answer questions like, What\u2019s the capacity of nearby roads? What is the site\u2019s power profile? Is this area water-stressed, and what are the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/biodiversity-think-tank\">biodiversity requirements<\/a> of operating here?\r\n\r\nAcross industries, the challenge of bringing an operation online follows similar patterns. Progress depends on the ability to analyze all variables in a location, and do so quicker than the competition. When so many options seem possible, successful firms rely on location analytics to determine what is profitable. <em>\u00a0<\/em>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mine Site Selection Key to New Electrified Era<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Coveted Metal for an Electrified Future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T13:41:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-coveted-metal-for-an-electrified-future-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-coveted-metal-for-an-electrified-future-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Mine Site Selection Key to New Electrified Era\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-02-17T14:14:32+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-02-25T13:41:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"A Coveted Metal for an Electrified Future\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"description\": \"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.\",\n\t            \"sameAs\": [\n\t                \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814\",\n\t                \"https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mine Site Selection Key to New Electrified Era","description":"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Coveted Metal for an Electrified Future","og_description":"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2026-02-25T13:41:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-coveted-metal-for-an-electrified-future-card-826x465-1.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""},{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-coveted-metal-for-an-electrified-future-card-826x465-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart","name":"Mine Site Selection Key to New Electrified Era","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-17T14:14:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-25T13:41:48+00:00","description":"For miners weighing the costs and benefits of a would-be operation, location analysis is key to mine site selection.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/copper-restart#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Coveted Metal for an Electrified Future"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376","name":"Chris Chiappinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg","caption":"Chris Chiappinelli"},"description":"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. Through his writing, he explores the intersection of business strategy and location intelligence\u2014and strategic challenges like sustainability, growth, and risk. Prior to joining Esri, Chris managed internal content for PTC, a pioneer in IoT technology, smart products, and augmented reality. Earlier in his career, Chris spent a decade as a journalist covering business and technology news.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chris-chiappinelli-ba56814","https:\/\/x.com\/chrischip"],"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/author\/cchiappinelli"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/771695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wherenext"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext\/771695\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=771695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=771695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=771695"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=771695"},{"taxonomy":"wherenext-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wherenext-category?post=771695"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=771695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}