“The long game of copper”: Artem Volynets speaks to Fastmarkets

ACG Metals Founder, Chair and Chief Executive Officer Artem Volynets spoke to Fastmarkets about the Company’s transition from precious metals production into copper, and about the structural forces he expects to shape the copper market over the coming decade.

Volynets confirmed that ACG is in the final weeks of completing the Sulphide Expansion Project at Gediktepe, moving the operation from gold and silver doré into copper and zinc concentrates, predominantly copper. ACG has guided to 20,000-22,000 tonnes of copper-equivalent production for 2026, with first copper expected in August.

On market conditions, Volynets drew a firm distinction between near-term noise, tariff uncertainty, geopolitical tension, and the longer-term trends that underpin the Company’s strategy. A competitive cost structure, he argued, is a producer’s most effective hedge against short-term volatility.

He set out the case for sustained copper tightness: global mines are already running at capacity, grades are declining, meaningful new discoveries are rare, and demand from grid upgrades, artificial intelligence, data centres, electric vehicles, defence and robotics is expected to grow faster than global GDP against a historical baseline of roughly 2% per year. He also identified a ceiling on that thesis, expecting aluminium substitution in lower-voltage applications to limit copper price gains at some point.

“You cannot build a long-term business focusing on short-term fluctuations.”
— Artem Volynets, Founder, Chair and CEO, ACG Metals

Read the full interview on Fastmarkets.