Friedland has been wowing audiences with latest pre-feasibility numbers for a proposed US$1.1 billion, six million tonnes per annum underground mine and plant producing up to 360,000 tonnes of copper a year at Kalula on the Central African Copperbelt. He has also been speaking regularly about copper's increasing role in worldwide electrical distribution and storage networks of the future, and expansion of the global electric vehicle fleet.

CRU's World Copper Conference at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Centre in Santiago, Chile, runs from April 8-10. It is expected to be attended by more than 500 people from over 40 countries.

CRU portfolio director for metals events, Dominic Halahan said the conference was known for the calibre of delegates, and networking opportunities, hosted. "The conference will help attendees understand how different scenarios may impact the price of copper in the short to medium-term and also what opportunities exist for copper producers," he said.

Included in the program is a one-day Exploration Forum on April 8, and a Sulphuric Acid Seminar on April 10.

The conference will include sessions on creating shareholder value, developments that may impact Chinese demand, managing project risk and costs, sustainable copper, global supply and demand trends, latest technologies, and a dedicated session on how the price of copper may change under different market scenarios.

Bechtel, ABB, Collahausi, Jacobs, Anglo American, SNC Lavalin, Fitch Ratings, BHP, Fluor, London Metal Exchange and the International Copper Association are key sponsors.