Video News/Vancouver Resource Investment Conference 2026

Aurora Davidson, president and CEO of Amerigo Resources, says copper prices near $6 per pound have yet to provide a clear incentive for large-scale new mine development, highlighting ongoing structural constraints on global supply. Speaking with Kitco Mining at the VRIC 2026, Davidson said, “it doesn’t offset the risks involved in developing new copper mines,” pointing to high capital costs, long timelines, and permitting challenges that continue to slow project approvals. Davidson said tailings reprocessing offers one of the few near-term avenues to increase copper output, allowing producers to recover metal from existing operations rather than build new mines. She also highlighted Chile’s permitting bottlenecks as a key constraint on future supply, noting that delays have become a growing concern for the country’s copper sector. For Amerigo, Davidson said meeting production guidance, protecting margins, and maintaining capital returns remain central priorities as copper markets evolve.