Iran is pushing to speed up the development of the massive Janja copper and gold mining project in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, aiming to harness the project’s economic benefits to uplift the impoverished region near the Afghan border. On his first official visit, newly-appointed industries minister Mohammad Atabak toured the Janja project...
READ MOREIndonesia, home to the world’s largest reserves of nickel ore, has been leveraging its vast deposits to drive domestic industrialization. Much of Indonesia’s nickel, concentrated on or near Sulawesi, was historically exported in unprocessed form. However, in recent years, nickel has gained new importance as a critical material in the global transition to clean energy,...
READ MOREA team of researchers at MIT, in collaboration with ATI Specialty Materials, has developed a new method for creating titanium alloys that surpass traditional trade-offs between strength and ductility. This breakthrough could revolutionize materials used in industries like aerospace, where both high strength and flexibility are essential. Titanium alloys are critical in a range of...
READ MOREScientists at the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan have created a highly flexible titanium-nickel alloy that could pave the way for revolutionary applications such as shape-shifting aircraft and super-strong artificial muscles. This new alloy combines the strength of steel with the ability to stretch like rubber, potentially overcoming the long-standing trade-off between...
READ MOREState-owned China Minmetals plans to create a 10 billion yuan ($1.41 billion) mining company in partnership with local firms in Qinghai, a lithium-rich province in northwestern China. The new entity, provisionally named China Salt Lake Industry Group, aims to develop a world-class production hub while bolstering national security around potassium and lithium resources. Lithium, crucial...
READ MOREEcoPro has announced plans to collaborate with Chinese precursor manufacturer GEM to develop an integrated cathode material business in Indonesia. This partnership will encompass the entire cathode material value chain, including smelting, precursor production, and cathode materials, aiming to disrupt market prices through significant cost reductions. EcoPro Materials will acquire a stake in GEM’s Indonesian...
READ MORECanada Nickel has announced that Export Development Canada (EDC) may provide a $500 million loan for its Crawford project in northern Ontario, which is poised to become the world’s largest nickel-cobalt sulphide development. This potential funding, combined with $600 million in tax credits from the Canadian government, would support the construction of the C$3.5 billion...
READ MOREBaoshan Iron & Steel (Baosteel), Baowu Aluminum, and Japan’s Kobelco have received approval from the European Commission to establish a joint venture focusing on the production of automotive aluminium sheets. The transaction, reviewed under the EU Merger Regulation, raised no competition concerns within the European Economic Area, as confirmed by the Commission’s simplified merger review...
READ MOREPerfect Metals, an Australian company, has developed a new low-temperature electrolytic process to convert cassiterite directly into high-purity tin powder. This innovative process could revolutionize tin production by reducing energy inputs and enhancing sustainability. Electrolytic processes are widely used for metal purification and electroplating, and Perfect Metals has previously applied these technologies to chrome powder...
READ MOREThe International Energy Forum (IEF) has highlighted a critical challenge for the future of electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing: the world’s copper production is far from sufficient to meet the projected demand for a full EV rollout by 2050. According to research led by Dr. Lawrence Cathles from Cornell University and Dr. Adam Simon from the...
READ MOREAndrada Mining has announced a partnership with Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), one of the world’s largest lithium chemicals producers, through its subsidiary SQM Australia. The agreement, pending approval from the Namibian Competition Commission, will focus on developing Andrada’s Lithium Ridge asset (ML133) in Namibia. Key highlights of the partnership include:
READ MOREGlobal Zinc Production Continues to Decline Global zinc ore production fell by 3.4% in the first half of 2024 due to reduced demand from metallurgical plants, particularly in China. Zinc orders from galvanized steel plants and hot-dip galvanizing operations have also decreased, according to data from the Lead and Zinc Study Group. China’s zinc concentrate...
READ MOREBoliden has applied to have its Kevitsa mine in Finland designated as a strategic project under the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), as announced on the company’s LinkedIn page and highlighted by Metal Supply. The Kevitsa mine contains 14 of the 17 raw materials that the EU has classified as essential for industries...
READ MOREBolivia’s state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Boliviano (YLB) has identified four potential partners to collaborate on large-scale lithium projects in the country. The companies vying for the opportunity include China’s CBC, Italy’s Protecno, France’s Eramet, and Australia’s Eau Lithium. These firms are currently engaged in negotiations with YLB, each offering unique proposals to tap into...
READ MOREBMI, a division of Fitch Solutions, has revised its forecast for the global tin market, projecting an escalating shortage and further price increases in the coming years. Tin prices, which averaged $18,730 per ton between 2016 and 2020, have surged to over $32,000 per ton, driven by a supply deficit. The tin market has been...
READ MOREState-owned Chilean miner Codelco has purchased a 10% stake in the Quebrada Blanca copper mine for $520 million from fellow state miner Enami. This acquisition adds to Codelco’s portfolio at a time when the company is striving to increase its copper output after a significant production decline last year. The Quebrada Blanca mine, owned primarily...
READ MOREEurope is gearing up to launch several lithium mines over the next few years, as the European Union seeks to diversify its lithium supply and reduce dependence on China. Lithium, a critical component for electric vehicle batteries, plays a pivotal role in the energy transition and the push towards reducing carbon emissions. According to Fastmarkets,...
READ MOREDucab Metals Business (DMB), part of the Ducab Group, has announced the doubling of its aluminium production capacity from 55,000 to 110,000 tonnes per year. The company has also expanded its copper production capabilities, responding to rising global demand for its UAE-manufactured products. This expansion supports the UAE’s industrial growth plan, Operation 300bn, which aims...
READ MOREPanasonic Energy and Mazda Motor Corporation have announced plans to collaborate on the supply of next-generation cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, with production slated to begin in 2027. This partnership aims to expand Japan’s battery manufacturing base and support the country’s push towards electric vehicle (EV) adoption. The collaboration is part of Mazda’s strategic...
READ MOREGold prices surged on Wednesday following weaker-than-expected U.S. job vacancies data, pushing the metal to briefly touch $2,500 per ounce. The decline in job openings, reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, increased speculation of a significant Federal Reserve interest rate cut in September, weakening the U.S. dollar and bond yields. Spot gold initially...
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China’s Boi Yi Da company is planning to construct a copper processing plant in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, with the project expected to unfold in two stages. The first stage alone is estimated to require an investment of around $40 million. Once operational, the plant’s output will be entirely sold for export. Simultaneously, China Mining Energy...
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Aurubis has officially inaugurated its new Advanced Sludge Processing by Aurubis (ASPA) plant at its Beerse site in Belgium, marking a major step forward in sustainable metal recycling. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to efficiently extract tin and precious metals from anode sludge, a byproduct of electrolytic copper refining produced at Aurubis’ sites in Beerse...
READ MORELithium prices, crucial for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, have seen a sharp decline of more than 20% so far in 2024, but analysts suggest the market may stabilize due to the demand-supply balance. As of Monday, lithium carbonate prices on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange (Gfex) closed at 75,200 yuan ($10,571.5) per tonne, down by 3,050...
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BHP Group’s decision to expand its smelter and refinery at the Olympic Dam operation in South Australia aims to position the country as a key player in the global copper supply chain, particularly outside of China. The expansion, announced on August 30, could raise Olympic Dam’s refined copper cathode output to 500,000 metric tons annually...
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