BHP, the world’s largest mining company, remains flexible in its approach to copper growth, whether through expanding its existing operations or pursuing acquisitions. Speaking on Thursday, Geraldine Slattery, BHP’s president of Australia, emphasized that the company is not strictly focused on either internal or external growth to increase its copper footprint. “Growth is certainly a...
READ MOREChilean miner Antofagasta and China’s Jiangxi Copper have agreed to significantly lower processing fees for copper concentrate in 2025, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. The agreed treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) of $21.25 per ton and 2.125 cents per pound represent a steep 73.4% drop from the $80 per ton and...
READ MOREThe London Metal Exchange (LME) saw refined copper closing at $9,068 per ton, up $4 or 0.04% on the official three-month goods price basis. Despite ongoing concerns about China’s economic outlook, copper prices remained above the $9,000 mark, buoyed by hopes for government stimulus measures. LME copper stock levels, excluding canceled warrants, continued their 12-day...
READ MOREMitsubishi Corp. has reported a loss of over $90 million in its Chinese operations following suspected fraudulent activity by one of its copper traders. The loss is the latest in a series of incidents affecting major commodity trading firms, raising concerns about the risks individual traders may pose when handling substantial sums in global commodity...
READ MORERio Tinto appears to be focusing on developing its existing copper resources rather than pursuing new acquisitions to boost copper production, according to analysts from Morgan Stanley. Following an investor briefing, the analysts noted that Rio Tinto’s new copper chief, Katie Jackson, is concentrating on ramping up production at the Oyu Tolgoi mine and addressing...
READ MOREAustralian mining giant Rio Tinto has forecast a significant increase in consolidated mined copper production for fiscal year 2025, driven largely by a projected 50% surge in output from its Oyu Tolgoi operation in Mongolia. The company, traditionally reliant on iron ore profits, is pivoting its focus towards copper, anticipating a 3% annual growth from...
READ MOREThe United States is making significant investments in the Lobito rail corridor, which links Angola’s Atlantic coast to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. The aim is to secure access to critical minerals like copper and cobalt, which are essential for electric vehicles and the broader energy transition away from fossil fuels. Revitalized...
READ MOREThe European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a 30 million euro loan agreement with Andalusian company Cunext to finance the construction of a copper cathode production plant in Córdoba. The facility will use recycled materials, specifically copper anodes, to produce high-purity copper through advanced electrolysis technology, aiming to reduce reliance on primary copper sourced from...
READ MOREAccording to SMM, Chile’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported a 3.0% year-over-year increase in the country’s manufacturing production in October. The agency also noted that copper production in October rose by 6.7% year-over-year to 492,804 metric tons. Chile remains the world’s largest copper producer, maintaining its key role in the global copper supply chain.
READ MORECopper prices fell on Wednesday on the London Metal Exchange (LME), weighed down by a stronger dollar and technical factors. The market is awaiting more clarity on demand prospects in China, the world’s top metals consumer, as well as possible trade tariffs. Three-month copper on the LME declined by 0.2% to $9,093 per metric ton...
READ MOREForan Mining (TSX: FOM) has provided a construction update for its 100%-owned McIlvenna Bay copper-zinc mine, which is progressing toward initial production in the fourth quarter of next year. The project is located in Saskatchewan, about 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon, Manitoba. McIlvenna Bay hosts the largest undeveloped volcanogenic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposit in...
READ MOREIvanhoe Mines announced that the Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) set a new monthly production record of 45,019 tonnes of copper in concentrate during November. The concentrators processed 1.2 million tonnes of ore with an average feed grade of 4.58% copper....
READ MORERio Tinto and Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM) have signed a term sheet for a joint venture to advance the Winu copper-gold project, located in the Great Sandy Desert region of Western Australia. Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will continue to develop and operate Winu as the managing partner, while SMM will acquire a 30% equity...
READ MOREMany Chinese metal importers have stopped purchasing US copper scrap in anticipation of potential tariffs as Donald Trump prepares to assume the presidency, according to Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. The halt in purchases began in mid-November, as these shipments would likely arrive around the time of Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the state-owned researcher...
READ MOREA mining technology startup in Newark, New Jersey, is developing an innovative method to extract copper from ores that are currently too costly or complex for traditional mining techniques. The startup, Still Bright, is experimenting with vanadium—a rare metal—to unlock copper resources essential for the clean energy transition. The technology, if successful, could help address...
READ MOREChina’s vehicle export numbers continued to rise in October, with 542,000 units shipped, marking an 11.1% increase from the same period last year, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) as reported by Reuters. Cumulative exports from January to October reached 4.855 million vehicles, an increase of 23.8% compared to the...
READ MOREThe ratio of Kazakhstan’s proven gold reserves to the country’s gold production currently stands at 1.2, indicating that explored gold reserves exceed current production levels, according to Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev. This means that Kazakhstan’s gold reserves are in a healthy state, with more being discovered than is being extracted. For copper,...
READ MOREMetso has introduced an integrated Copper Electrowinning (CuEW) Plant designed to ensure safety and operational sustainability in producing high-purity copper cathodes. The pre-engineered layout of the CuEW Plant is flexible and scalable, accommodating a range of production capacities. The plant utilizes advanced digital and automation solutions, as well as an acid mist capture system, to...
READ MOREChinese mining group Baiyin Nonferrous is set to acquire Mineração Vale Verde, a Brazilian mining company owned by British private equity manager Appian Capital Advisory. Mineração Vale Verde operates the Serrote mine in Alagoas, specializing in copper concentrate production. The deal will be executed through the purchase of stakes in AMH 2 and Serrote Participações,...
READ MOREThe global cobalt market faces an ongoing oversupply, largely driven by increased production from copper-cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to Fastmarkets researchers, the DRC produced 76% of the world’s cobalt in 2023, a share projected to remain steady through 2024 and 2025. This oversupply is closely linked to the...
READ MOREKGHM Group reported mixed production and sales results for October, with variations across different metals. The production of payable silver totaled 118.3 tonnes, marking a slight decline of 1% compared to the same period last year. However, silver sales increased significantly, reaching 138.8 tonnes, up by 14% year-on-year. Copper sales by KGHM Group amounted to...
READ MOREA new report titled “Recycling of Critical Minerals: Strategies to Scale Up Recycling and Urban Mining” has emphasized the critical role of copper recycling in meeting surging demand driven by the green energy transition. The report, published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on November 18, warns that without significant improvements in copper recycling, the...
READ MOREEcuador’s exports of copper, lead, and precious metals fell during the first three quarters of the year compared to the same period last year, as the country’s largest mines limited production, the government announced on November 25. Copper-lead concentrates dropped 16.7% to 447,277 metric tons (mt) through September, down from 536,684 mt a year earlier....
READ MORECapstone Copper, a Canadian-based multi-asset copper producer, is eyeing significant growth as it expands its operations in Chile and other regions. Listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and, as of this year, the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), Capstone currently operates four mines across Chile, the United States, and Mexico, with additional development projects in...
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