The Board of Investments (BOI) and the University of the Philippines (UP) have partnered to study gaps in the country’s copper value chain and to advance downstream industry development, Business World reported.
The Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) is funding the project through a grant.
Under a memorandum of understanding, UP’s Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering (DMMME) will lead the technical and economic studies and carry out technical and economic studies for a proposed copper rod casting facility. The department is also undertaking related projects on copper anodes and cathodes under the same grant.
For its part, the BOI will provide endorsements to industry partners and lend expertise as the implementing agency of the Copper Industry Roadmap.
“The BoI remains committed to enhancing the critical minerals sector, which aligns with the government’s goal to create a virtuous cycle of sustained economic growth that fundamentally transforms the Philippine economy,” the BoI said.
Will this partnership help close processing gaps and boost domestic copper production competitiveness?
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