Opinion: Investing in Alaska’s infrastructure will benefit all Alaskans

Juneau Empire
By: Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse (Opinion)

Alaska has an opportunity to become a major supplier of copper at a time when global demand is on the rise, as more innovations like electric vehicles, alternative energy and battery storage are developed to lower the world’s carbon footprint. The world needs copper and Alaska needs infrastructure to deliver it; the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project or AMDIAP is part of the solution.

It takes an estimated five to 15 times more copper to build and deliver carbon-free alternative energy such as windmills and solar panels than fossil fuel-based energy. Miles more copper is required for each one of the millions of new electrically vehicles (EVs) being sold — five times as much as in internal combustion engines. The new battery technologies needed to store energy in EVs, homes and industry need copper to function as do cryptocurrencies, cloud computing and AI. The demand for copper will continue to grow for as far as the eye can see.

Read Full Article Here:
https://www.juneauempire.com/opinion/opinion-investing-in-alaskas-infrastructure-will-benefit-all-alaskans/