2nd India Copper Forum, by International Copper Association India (ICAI) concludes with an in-depth analysis of the Indian copper sector


  


~Per capita usage of copper in India is at average 0.8 kgs as compared to the world average 3.7kgs

~India copper usage stood at 1.2 mn tonnes in 2015, set to double in the next 5-6 years

Bangalore,  21 December, 2016: International Copper Association India (ICA India) in association with Hindalco Industries Ltd and Vedanta Ltd organised the prestigious India Copper Forum earlier today in Mumbai. The event brought together experts and thought leaders from the copper fraternity to congregate and deliberate on opportunities, challenges and future of the country with copper.
Since 2000, India’s domestic copper usage has registered a very healthy growth rate which is in-line with the robust GDP growth witnessed by India during the same period. As per ICA India’s estimates, the copper usage in India grew at CAGR of 5.3% from 2006 to 2015 to reach 1.2 million tonnes in 2015. However, India’s per capita copper usage is around 0.8 kg whereas the world average is 3.7 kgs, indicates clearly that there is a huge potential for growth.

2nd India Copper Forum, by International Copper Association India (ICAI) concludes with an in-depth analysis of the Indian copper sector
 Photo caption ICF 2016 (L-R): Mr. Sanjeev Ranjan, MD, ICAI, Mr. DK Jain, President- INFMMA & MD, Agrawal Metal Works Pvt. Ltd., Mr. JC Laddha- CEO, Hindalco Copper Division, Mr. P Ramnath, CEO- Vedanta Copper, Mr. Richard Xu, Regional Director ICA Asia.

2nd India Copper Forum, by International Copper Association India (ICAI) concludes with an in-depth analysis of the Indian copper sector

The event held extensive discussions to evaluate how the copper fraternity is aligning itself to the Government’s vision and contributing to the nation’s progress. Going forward, the estimated copper usage growth is expected to increase as the Government has put in process various initiatives such as Housing for All, Make in India and smart cities to name few.

Speaking on the opportunities and challenges faced by the copper industry, Mr. JC Laddha, CEO, Hindalco Copper Division said,” We see tremendous growth potential for copper in India. This will come from sectors like power, telecom, automobile, railway, defence etc. We are expecting the copper usage to double in India by next decade. However, copper industry needs great support from the government as it is going through a difficult phase due to slow down in global market and increase of imports. Imports increased from 64,000 tonnes in FY2011 to 206,000 tonnes in FY2016, showing a CAGR of 22% over the last 5 years. Also, higher logistics cost, processing & energy cost etc. has built up the cost pressure.”

Mr. P Ramnath, CEO, Vedanta Copper added, “The current environment is very encouraging to help boost manufacturing activity in India. The resource capabilities, production technologies and understanding of global market perspective that India has developed over past few decades have paved the way for transformational growth. Additionally, a comprehensive roadmap to address the concerns of the copper industry would help us achieve the desired growth for the sector.”

He also went on to mention, “Despite the fact that India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world for copper usage, the industry faces challenges from the unauthorized usage of commercial grade Copper and Aluminum in electrical applications. With the common platform that ICAI provides, it is my belief that all of us will find the way to make a positive contribution to society’s sustainable development goals, through copper.”

Richard Xu, Regional Director, International Copper Association Asia shared his views on the developments in the copper sector in APAC, “The demand continues to be robust for copper in China. As per ICA estimates 25.6 mn tonnes of copper was added in the 12th- 5 year plan of China. This will now increase to 29.2 mn tonnes during the upcoming 13th - 5 year plan. Thus there was a healthy growth of 14% of copper usage between these two 5-year plans. A major threat is the substitution of copper, which had peaked in the period 2007-2011, however now this practice is on the decline. On the other hand copper has gained new markets such as in aquaculture for copper enclosure facilities and copper mesh cages. Also in small diameter copper tubes in air conditioning and copper rotor for induction motors.”

Sanjeev Ranjan, Managing Director, ICA India said, “We are hopeful that the industry and the government will work collaboratively to make the country energy efficient and to attain the renewable energy target of 175GW by 2022. ICA India is honored to facilitate this conversation. We look forward to be a part of this vision and contribute in realizing this dream along with all the stakeholders.”

Stressing on the need of adoption of copper Mr. Balvender Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, GoI said “In India there is a huge potential in exploration of copper. However, the copper production has not been to the desired level and this is the reason that India imports nearly 80% of copper requirement. I am hopeful that the measures we have taken in the recent past for promoting and facilitating exploration in the country will yield results in the near future and India will become self-sufficient in the coming years.”

As part of the event, awards were given out to those companies that increased usage of copper for. A list of the winners are enclosed below:

Award
Awardee
Copper Excellence Award for Clean Energy Adoption
Ministry of New & Renewable Energy
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency
Indian Pump Manufacturers Association
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency
NTPC
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency
JK Tyres
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency
Bureau of Indian Standards
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency
CESC Ltd
Copper Excellence Award for Electrical Safety
Chief Electrical Inspector (Maharashtra) - Mr. S R Bagade
Copper Excellence Award for Electrical Safety
Rural Electrification Corporation Limited
Copper Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency & Electrical Safety
Schneider Electric India


International Copper Association of India (ICA India) mission at the highest level is to make a positive contribution to the society’s development goals. ICAI promotes copper usage for energy efficiency, climate-change mitigation, safe and clean cooking & public health etc.

About ICAI
The International Copper Association India (ICA India) is a member of Copper Alliance and the Indian arm of the International Copper Association, the leading not-for-profit organization for the promotion of copper worldwide. ICA India is driven by the same objective as that of its parent organization, which is to ‘defend and grow markets for copper based on its superior technical performance and its contribution to a higher quality of life worldwide’. ICA India contributes mainly through its catalytic role, accelerating changes and transforming the long-term markets for Copper in a sustainable way through its major initiatives such as electrical safety and energy efficiency. ICA India’s activities focus on helping end users to better understand and appreciate the positive attributes of copper.