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    AMU: Grid upgrades starting to cope with rising electricity demand

    Written by Greg Wittbecker


    Hardly a day goes by without someone writing about the expected rise in US electricity demand. This demand is largely driven by data center and AI’s appetite for power.

    Developing the required generating capacity to support this growth is a story for another day. This article instead focuses on the linchpin: delivering power to the end consumer. That means increased miles of transmission lines and upgrading aging legacy lines.

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    AMU: Edward Meir’s week in review and thoughts for the week of Oct. 12, 2026

    Base metals had a mixed week. Tin lost almost 4% on the week, finishing at $53,000/ton. Prices dropped to a low of $51,259/ton at one point. Aluminum was another loser, off by about 1.6% on the week. Investors are expecting more aluminum supply going forward, especially out of China and Indonesia. Copper prices tacked on 1.1%. They have now recovered more than half of the $700/ton loss sustained (over the course of a week) following reports/rumors in mid-September that US tariffs on refined copper imports might not proceed after all.