Copper is a crucial metal, and it has played an extremely vital role in commencing industrial development over the past 150 years. Geoscience Australia, by the Australian Government, points out that Thomas Edison invented the first electric light in 1878 with the help of copper that carried current to it. Similarly, Alexander Graham Bell also used copper telephone wire in 1876. Thus, be it the invention of the telephone or electric light, copper has played its vital role in the past, and it still plays its fundamental role even today in industries across the globe. As per the Government of Canada’s website “Natural Resources Canada”, we use copper metal in wiring, plumbing, construction, industrial machinery, electric vehicles and solar PV panels. International Energy Agency highlights in its report “Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024” that copper is a crucial mineral that is present in all key clean energy technologies, namely electric vehicles (EVs), lithium-ion batteries for EVs, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind energy and electricity networks. Thus, if we want to beat climate change by putting a dent in our greenhouse gas emission curve through clean energy technologies, we must ensure that we have a stable supply of copper both today and tomorrow. Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) in the United States of America points out that a 3 Megawatt (MW) wind turbine needs 4.7 tons of copper, 335 tons of steel, 3 tons of aluminium, 2 tons of rare earth elements and 1200 tonnes of concrete. This is just an example of a wind turbine to signify how important a role copper plays in the clean energy transition. According to the United Nations (UN), our unsustainable reliance on coal, oil and gas (commonly known as fossil fuels) is causing our previously stable climate to change. When we burn fossil fuels, we produce greenhouse gases that cover the earth, trapping more of the heat from the sun and consequently warming our planet and causing climate change. To bend the greenhouse gas emissions curve and to phase out fossil fuels, we need clean energy solutions like solar PV and wind energy technologies. After installation, these sustainable solutions produce renewable electricity through the sun and wind that is free from greenhouse gas emissions and thus helps us to fight climate change.
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) specify that 117 Gigawatts (GWs) of new wind energy capacity were installed in 2024 in countries across the globe. Do you know that 117 GWs would make 117000 Megawatts (MWs)? Now, assuming that if these newly installed wind turbines had 3 MWs of installed capacity each, the world installed 39000 wind turbines in 2024. As already discussed, a 3 MW wind turbine needs 4.7 tons of copper; thus, we have used roughly 183,300 tons of copper in 2024 to manufacture and install 39000 wind turbines. GWEC further predicts that an additional terawatt (TW) of new wind energy capacity will be installed in the world by 2030. Similarly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reveals that the offshore wind energy sector consumes 8,000 kilograms (kgs) of copper per Megawatt (MW). The onshore wind energy sector uses 2900 kgs of copper per MW, and solar PV technology has over 2822 kgs of copper per MW. The already discussed examples help us to understand how crucial copper is when it comes to commencing sustainable industrial development through renewable energy technologies and to fight climate change. Other than solar PV and wind energy technologies, we also use copper in electricity networks, EVs, lithium-ion batteries, wiring and plumbing, etc. Thus, we cannot ignore the crucial role copper plays in producing clean energy that then helps us to bend the emissions curve, phase out fossil fuels and create a sustainable future for all. We must do all it takes to recycle every single ton of copper. We cannot take this for granted if we want to create a society that is resilient enough to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
A resilient Pakistan must be powered by 100% renewable electricity without unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) points out that by 2030, over 50,000 installed wind turbines in Europe will either reach or exceed their operational life and would thus require dismantling. Do you know that Spain and Germany alone would need to decommission 16,000 wind turbines each by 2030? Another policy brief by the European Commission highlights that a MW of installed wind turbines might have used 107,000 – 132,000 kgs of steel, 500 – 1600 kgs of aluminium, 950 – 5000 kgs of copper, 18000 – 20800 kgs of iron, and 470 – 580 kgs of chromium. We can use the already spoken figures to understand how material-intensive wind turbines are and why it is extremely crucial to recycle wind turbines and to recover these materials so that we can reuse them. There lies an excellent opportunity for Pakistan to enhance international partnership and to boost development cooperation with the European Union (EU). Adopting a circular approach and promoting a circular economy is a mutual area of interest for both Pakistan and the European Union (EU). Do you know that a circular economic model is based on production, distribution, consumption, reusing, repair and recycling, where recycling enables us to recover materials that could then be used again for product formation. According to the European Parliament, a circular economic model primarily focuses on cutting waste to a bare minimum. On the contrary, a conventional, linear economic model relies primarily on throwing stuff away as waste once it is consumed. The EU itself produces 2.1 billion tonnes of waste each year. A circular approach where we reuse and recycle products minimises the use of natural resources, decreases landscape and habitat disruption and helps us in limiting biodiversity loss. So, the difference between a circular economic model and a traditional, linear economic model is obvious. There is a dire need for the Government of Pakistan to develop the recycling of wind turbines as a mature sector in the country. Doing so would not be an easy journey and would need an ample amount of time, finances and technological expertise. However, if accomplished successfully, it will be extremely beneficial for our economic growth, boosting trade partnerships and exports, increasing our access to key metals and materials and reducing the trade deficit for Pakistan. It is important to point out here that Pakistan must reduce its reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation. In fiscal year 2025 (during July – March), Pakistan produced 46.3% of its total electricity from thermal sources using 13.17 million tonnes of petroleum products, 3,143 Mmcfd of gas and 16.2 metric tons of coal. Nuclear power generated 19.05% of electricity, while hydel sources produced 30.41% of electricity, followed by non-hydro renewable sources that generated 4.24% of electricity during fiscal year 2025 (during July – March). We must work on increasing the share of electricity produced from solar PV, bagasse and wind power technologies in Pakistan to a point where these technologies would phase out fossil fuels in Pakistan. It will be good for the environment, for society and for the financial health of Pakistan’s economy. Do you know that Pakistan spent USD 8.4 billion on the import of petroleum products in fiscal year 2025 (July – March)? Similarly, Pakistan had spent USD 8.44 billion as the total import bill against petroleum products in the fiscal year 2024 (July – March). Altogether, we have spent over USD 16.8 billion USD on the import of petroleum products during FY 2024 and FY 2025. Keeping the import bill for petroleum products constant, in a decade’s time, we will spend over USD 80 billion, and in 20 years, the cumulative cost will skyrocket to a whopping USD 160 billion. Can we afford this? I doubt. Thus, we must enable renewable energy transition in Pakistan as soon as possible to bend the emissions curve, phase out fossil fuels and fight climate change. A resilient Pakistan must be powered by 100% renewable electricity without unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Summing up, the Government of Pakistan must collaborate with the European Union to import end-of-life and soon-to-be-decommissioned wind turbines in the country. We can do a detailed analysis to see if these wind turbines can be installed in Pakistan to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to enable a clean energy transition. We can also establish recycling as a mature industry, capable enough to recycle steel, aluminium, copper, iron and chromium from wind turbines and to utilise it in other sectors in our economy. Doing so will transform our linear economy into a circular economy, benefiting our society, businesses and environment. Domestically, we should also focus on recycling copper from wiring, plumbing, construction, industrial machinery and solar PV panels too. As per the International Copper Association, we can recycle copper infinitely. Do you know that the EU satisfy 44% of its copper demand from recycling? Similarly, relying on scrap copper cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 65% and recycling it conserves 85% of the energy required to manufacture copper from a primary source. We must prioritise recycling copper in Pakistan. We need to act now. Choice is ours and will always be.
The writer is a Stockholm-based policy analyst and the Founder / Operations Manager of Project Green Earth (www.projectge. org). He can be reached at aubhameedi @yahoo.com.