S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) forecasts copper demand will rise by half to 42 million tonnes in 2040 from 28 million tonnes in 2025. U.S. aluminum smelters already struggle with high power costs, while large data-centre operators can pay substantially more for firm supply, S&P Global said. That work may not shield it when residents view data centres, mines and other large projects as one wave of industrial development. Noise, power demand, water fears and concern over AI-driven job losses can harden local opposition. Data centres tend to cluster near cities, power lines and gas pipelines, while many explorers work in remote mountain and desert regions, Kaiser said.