Senior executives from BHP Group Ltd (LSE:BHP, ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF) are set to headline a critical minerals event at the White House convened by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, Australian time.
The meeting is expected to bring together more than 100 mining executives as the Trump administration looks to strengthen domestic supplies of copper and other critical minerals and reduce US reliance on Chinese-controlled production.
BHP and Rio Tinto are partners in the Resolution Copper project in Arizona, one of the largest prospective sources of new US copper supply and a key potential contributor to the administration’s critical minerals strategy.
Details of the White House meeting have yet to be released, but the event will mark the first major public appearance for newly appointed BHP North Americas president Jess Farrell.
Other Australian miners with significant US operations and development projects are also expected to attend. These include South32, which is advancing its Hermosa base metals project in Arizona.
Resolution Copper, however, remains one of the most significant near-term opportunities to increase US production of copper and other critical minerals.
Resolution Copper general manager Vicky Pearcey said US government assistance had helped generate “tangible progress” at the project, with the joint venture now awarding major contracts for drilling and underground development.
The White House gathering comes as the US government intensifies efforts to secure domestic and allied sources of minerals considered essential to energy, defence, manufacturing and infrastructure supply chains.
