Russian mining giant Nornickel is negotiating with several Chinese battery companies to jointly establish a nickel sulfate production plant, which will be used in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, Reuters reported citing unnamed sources. Nornickel approached Brunp Recycling, a subsidiary of CATL, and CNGR Advanced Material regarding this project, the agency reported. Nornickel, which produced...
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Silver has emerged as one of the best-performing asset classes year-to-date, delivering a 24.7% return, surpassing gold’s 17% gain. This impressive performance is largely driven by robust industrial demand and supply constraints. Approximately 60% of silver’s total demand stems from industrial applications. Recent years have seen a significant uptick in this demand, particularly due to...
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A recent report by consultancy S&P Global reveals that it takes nearly 29 years on average to develop a new mine in the United States, making it the second-longest process worldwide, behind Zambia’s 34-year timeline. This extended timeframe hinders U.S. efforts to increase production of critical metals like lithium and nickel, essential for the energy...
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Talon Metals announced plans to deploy Circulor’s traceability technology to ensure full transparency of its nickel and copper production processes. This initiative aims to trace the company’s nickel and copper concentrates, along with by-products such as iron compounds for LFP batteries, cobalt, platinum group metals, and gold. Circulor’s technology provides comprehensive tracking capabilities, verifying the...
READ MOREOn Thursday, aluminium prices fell to their lowest point in more than three months, while Shanghai nickel prices dropped to a four-month low, primarily due to increased production in key producing countries. On the London Metal Exchange (LME), three-month aluminium was nearly unchanged at $2,401 per metric ton by 0457 GMT, after hitting a low...
READ MOREIndonesia is rapidly expanding its nickel industry, traditionally used in stainless steel production but increasingly critical for electric vehicle batteries and clean energy projects. This growth has significant environmental and social impacts, as seen on the island of Halmahera. Librek Loha, a farmer on Halmahera, has witnessed firsthand the environmental degradation caused by the burgeoning...
READ MOREWestern Australia’s nickel sector faces a severe blow as cheap nickel from Indonesia floods the market, halving nickel prices in 2023 and dropping below $16,000 per tonne in December. Indonesia’s nickel production skyrocketed to 49% of global supply in 2023, up from less than 5% eight years ago, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Impact on...
READ MOREChinese Aluminum Producers Eye Belarus for Expansion Intentions Announced Around 20 Chinese producers of aluminum semi-finished products have announced plans to cooperate with the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange during a recent meeting with its management. Current Market Dynamics Aluminum products such as pipes, sheets, foil, and profiles are currently sold through this platform. These products...
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The impending closure of BHP’s nickel operations in Western Australia is set to create significant impacts across the sector, with some experts predicting it could signal the decline of the Australian nickel industry. BHP announced on Thursday that it would suspend operations at the Kwinana nickel refinery in Perth, the Kalgoorlie smelter, and its major...
READ MORELynas Rare Earths has raised concerns about the potential disruption in the supply of sulphuric acid to its Kalgoorlie processing facility following BHP Group’s announcement to suspend its Western Australia nickel operations starting October. BHP, the world’s largest-listed miner, cited a decline in metal prices and an oversupply issue in the global market as reasons...
READ MORENornickel is in talks with China Copper to establish a joint venture aimed at relocating the Copper Plant’s smelting operations from Norilsk to China Reuters reported citing unnamed sources. This collaboration would involve building a new smelting facility in China. As one of the world’s leading producers of nickel, copper, platinum, and palladium, Nornickel produced...
READ MOREBHP has announced a temporary suspension of its Nickel West operations and the West Musgrave project, collectively known as Western Australia Nickel, starting in October 2024. This decision comes in response to an oversupply in the global nickel market, with forward consensus prices projected to decline significantly due to the growth of alternative low-cost nickel...
READ MOREFrench mining company Eramet has announced plans to increase its investment in Indonesia, exploring potential partnerships to produce battery-grade nickel in the country. This move follows the collapse of a similar project with German chemical giant BASF in late June. Eramet Indonesia Director Bruno Faour revealed that the company is actively seeking opportunities to invest...
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Ardea Resources has initiated a $98.5 million definitive feasibility study (DFS), fully funded by a Japanese consortium, for its expansive Goongarrie Hub nickel project located 70km northwest of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields region. This funding deal involves Japanese industry giants Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Corporation, who will receive a 50% stake in...
READ MORERio Tinto’s Carbon-Free Aluminum Production Arvida Smelter Project Rio Tinto Corporation plans to produce carbon-free aluminum at its Arvida smelter in Canada by installing inert anode electrolyzers. A pilot line with ten electrolyzers is set to be designed and commissioned, leveraging a technology license from Elysis, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa. Investment...
READ MOREMontreal-based Midland Exploration Inc. has announced the start of a major exploration program for nickel and copper in Nunavik, Quebec. This initiative is part of its strategic alliance with BHP Group, formalized in August 2020. The exploration follows several years of groundwork, including the discovery of new Ni-Cu-Co mineralized showings from 2020 to 2023. The...
READ MOREResearchers from the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad have discovered nickel deposits in the Cuddapah Basin, Andhra Pradesh. This finding is significant as India currently has no domestic nickel production and relies entirely on imports to meet its demand for the metal, which is crucial in electronics due to its conductivity and corrosion...
READ MOREStellantis Plans to Become a Nickel Producer Investment in Indonesian Nickel Production European automobile giant Stellantis is negotiating with Brazilian corporation Vale and Chinese company Huayou Cobalt to invest in nickel production facilities in Indonesia. Vale plans to establish two metallurgical plants in partnership with Western car manufacturers, one with Ford and the other with...
READ MOREFrench mining company Eramet and German chemical giant BASF have announced the cancellation of their planned $2.6 billion joint investment in a nickel-cobalt refining complex in Weda Bay, Indonesia. The decision was made after a thorough evaluation and discussions about the project’s execution strategy. Eramet stated that it would continue to explore potential investments in...
READ MOREStellantis, the world’s third-largest automaker, is entering discussions with Brazil’s Vale and China’s Huayou Cobalt to invest in a nickel production unit in Indonesia. Vale has announced plans to build three nickel production plants in the country, one in collaboration with Ford and another with Stellantis. This initiative aims to secure a stable supply of...
READ MORENornickel is installing a new flash smelting furnace at its Nadezhda Smelter, the world’s largest supplier of palladium and Class 1 nickel, said in a press release. This new furnace is set to replace one of the existing smelting units that has become obsolete and is being phased out of operation, Nornickel said. Its key...
READ MOREAlbemarle’s Efforts to Strengthen U.S. Lithium Sovereignty Kings Mountain Lithium Mine Project Albemarle Corporation held public hearings on the Kings Mountain lithium mine project, located at one of the largest pegmatite deposits in the United States. The project aims to produce approximately 420,000 tons of spodumene concentrate annually. The initiative includes utilizing a former mica...
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Commerzbank reported today that there is limited scope for further upside in base metal prices, suggesting that the potential has been exhausted or even overdone. The German bank had previously attributed the rise in metal prices to a more positive economic outlook due to the prospect of interest rate cuts in major economies. However, in...
READ MOREArdea Resources has enhanced the nickel-cobalt inventory at its Goongarrie Hub project near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, using a high-tech mineral processing technique. This achievement has earned the company a $1.1 million grant from the Federal Government. Less than two months ago, a Japanese consortium led by Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Corporation committed to funding...
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