Production

  • Antimony: Critical Metal Poses Risk to U.S. Military Supply Chain

    BY John Davis
    A potential conflict with China poses a significant threat to the U.S. military, particularly if Beijing decides to restrict exports of antimony—a key metal crucial to the American military’s arsenal. Antimony (Sb) is one of the best-performing commodities this year, and its restricted supply could jeopardize military readiness. Antimony miners in Western-friendly nations are currently...
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  • Peru’s Copper Production Drops 1.2% in September Amid Lower Output from Key Mines

    BY Lara Browne
    Peru’s copper production fell by 1.2% in September compared to the same month last year, reaching 232,423 metric tons, according to data released by the Ministry of Energy and Mines on Tuesday. Peru, one of the world’s largest copper producers, produced 2.76 million metric tons of copper last year. The monthly decline in copper production...
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  • Echion and CBMM Launch World’s Largest Production Facility for Niobium Anode Material

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    Echion Technologies and CBMM have officially launched the world’s largest production facility dedicated to Echion’s XNO active anode material. Located in Araxá, Brazil, this new facility aims to revolutionize the lithium-ion battery industry by enabling ultra-fast charging and improved performance. The strategic partnership between Echion and CBMM played a key role in bringing the facility...
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  • Sigma Lithium Boosts Production and Lowers Costs in Q3

    BY John Davis
    Sigma Lithium, a major lithium producer, reported strong operational progress for the third quarter, achieving its production target and maintaining some of the lowest cash unit operating costs in the lithium industry. During Q3, Sigma produced 60,237 tons of its Quintuple Zero Lithium Concentrate, a 22% increase from the previous quarter and slightly above its...
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  • GEP Ecotech Supplies Aluminum Recycling System to North America’s Largest Aluminum Company

    BY Lars Jensen
    GEP Ecotech, a provider of metal recycling solutions, has supplied an advanced aluminum recycling production line to the largest aluminum company in North America. The new system is designed to process baled scrap aluminum by breaking it down, shredding it, and removing contaminants to prepare the material for smelting. The recycling production line includes various...
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  • Asahi Kasei Breaks Ground on Battery Separator Plant in Ontario to Support EV Market

    BY Lars Jensen
    Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Corporation has taken a significant step in supporting the North American electric vehicle (EV) market by beginning construction on a new lithium-ion battery separator manufacturing facility in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. The facility is expected to begin commercial production in 2027, subject to obtaining all necessary permits and approvals. It will...
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  • Iran’s Aluminum Production Reaches 352,423 Tons in First Four Months

    BY John Davis
    Iran produced 352,423 tons of aluminum ingots during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20 – October 21), according to data from the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). In the previous year, the country produced 367,091 tons of aluminum ingot over the same seven-month period....
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  • Aluminum Prices Expected to Remain Elevated in 2024 Due to Tight Market Balance

    BY Lars Jensen
    Aluminum prices are anticipated to stay elevated throughout 2024 as a tightening market balance emerges, with global demand growth outpacing supply, according to BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions Group. In a report released this week, BMI forecasts that aluminum demand will increase by 3.2% year-on-year in 2024, reaching 70.35 million tonnes, while supply growth...
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  • Critical Metals Updates Progress on Wolfsberg Lithium Project

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    On Thursday, Critical Metals provided an update on the Wolfsberg Lithium Project, located in Austria. Tony Sage, CEO and Executive Chairman of Critical Metals Corp, highlighted significant progress not only with the Wolfsberg Project but also with the company’s rare earth asset in Greenland. Sage emphasized the ongoing development plans for the Wolfsberg Project and...
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  • New Alumina Capacity Set to Ease Tight Supplies and Halt Price Rally

    BY John Davis
    New capacity for converting bauxite into alumina is expected to come online next year, potentially easing the current tight supplies and halting the record-breaking price rally of this key material used in aluminium production. Higher alumina prices outside China have turned the country, the world’s largest producer and consumer, into a net exporter this year...
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  • Oman Plans Integrated Aluminium Industries Cluster in Suhar

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    Omani authorities are advancing plans to establish an Integrated Economic Cluster for Aluminium Industries in the Wilayat of Suhar, a region already at the heart of substantial aluminium-related investments. The Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-Up Unit is spearheading this initiative, collaborating with various government ministries and agencies to move the project forward. The planned cluster...
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  • Port Said for Engineering Works to Build $80 Million Aluminum Foil Factory in SCZone

    BY John Davis
    Port Said for Engineering Works, a subsidiary of the Suez Canal Authority, has announced plans to construct an $80 million aluminum foil factory in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) in partnership with an undisclosed Chinese investor, according to Al Borsa. The feasibility studies for the project have recently been approved, and construction is expected...
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  • Klockner & Co to Build New Aluminum Processing Facility in Columbus

    BY Lara Browne
    Klockner & Co has announced plans to construct a new aluminum flat-rolled processing facility on the campus of Aluminum Dynamics LLC in Columbus. The new facility is intended to expand Klockner’s product and service portfolio, with ramp-up expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. This investment aims to enhance the company’s growth in both the...
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  • China’s October Aluminium Output Rises Amid Firm Demand and Higher Prices

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    China’s aluminium production in October 2024 rose year-on-year as a positive demand outlook and higher aluminium prices offset rising raw material costs. Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China, the world’s largest aluminium producer, produced 3.72 million metric tons of primary aluminium last month, marking a 1.6% increase from October last...
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  • Chinese Zinc Producers Rush to Deliver 40,000 Tons to Shanghai Futures Exchange

    BY Lara Browne
    Chinese zinc producers are racing to deliver between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tons of refined zinc to warehouses registered with the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) ahead of the November contract expiry on Friday, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the situation. This significant delivery is expected to raise zinc stocks in the ShFE...
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  • Rio Tinto to Build 25MW Solar Plant at Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah

    BY Lars Jensen
    Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has approved the construction of a new 25-megawatt (MW) solar plant at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, increasing the mine’s total solar capacity to 30MW. The new solar facility will be located next to Kennecott’s existing 5MW solar plant, completed in 2023. Together, the two solar plants are expected...
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  • Chinese Copper Smelters Consider Production Cuts Amid Feedstock Shortages

    BY John Davis
    Chinese copper smelters may cut production or extend maintenance periods next year to address ongoing feedstock shortages, as discussed by participants at an industry conference in Shanghai. The shortage of copper concentrate is leading to increased competition among smelters, with production cutbacks seen as a possible solution to alleviate the situation. Earlier this year, global...
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  • China’s Aluminium Production Rises by 1.7% in October, Xinjiang Capacity Boosts Output

    BY Lars Jensen
    According to data from Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), China’s aluminium production in October 2024 reached 3.7025 million tonnes, a 1.7% increase compared to the same month last year. In September, the year-on-year increase was estimated at 1.5%. For the ten-month period of 2024, Chinese aluminium producers exceeded last year’s output by 4.0%, with a total...
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  • China’s Copper Cathode Production Sees Slight Dip in October Amid Maintenance Closures

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    China’s copper cathode production in October 2024 amounted to 995,500 tonnes, according to the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). This figure marks a 0.9% decline from September but a slight increase of 0.2% compared to October 2023. Overall, Chinese companies produced 9.96 million tonnes of copper in the first ten months of the year, reflecting a...
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  • Piedmont Lithium Continues Strong Production Gains Amid Regulatory Progress

    BY John Davis
    Piedmont Lithium, a major North American lithium supplier, reported continued production growth in the third quarter of 2024, with measures in place to support its presence in the global lithium market. The company, based in Belmont, North Carolina, is advancing its key projects despite challenges in the lithium sector. In the third quarter, Piedmont, alongside...
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  • Mineral Resources to Shut Bald Hill Lithium Mine Amid Price Decline

    BY Lars Jensen
    Mineral Resources has announced the immediate closure of its Bald Hill lithium mine in Western Australia due to a prolonged and significant decline in lithium prices. The decision comes as the latest in a series of production cutbacks among global lithium producers, driven by an oversupply and reduced demand for the critical battery material. The...
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  • Aurubis Begins Construction of Air Separation Plant to Boost Efficiency at Lünen Recycling Site

    BY John Davis
    Aurubis has commenced construction of an air separation plant (AS) at its recycling site in Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia. This investment of approximately €40 million aims to make on-site production operations more efficient and reduce dependence on external supplies. The new plant will use proven technology already employed at other major Aurubis sites, such as those...
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  • Nornickel Advances Plans for Copper Smelter in Southern China

    BY Sophia Schmitz
    According to Bloomberg, Nornickel is moving forward with its plans to relocate copper smelting operations from Norilsk to China, focusing on the construction of a metallurgical plant in Fangchenggang, a port city on the coast of the South China Sea. A major hub for cargo transshipment to China, Vietnam, and other countries, Fangchenggang’s turnover rose...
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  • Iran’s Aluminum Production Sees Decline, While Bauxite and Alumina Outputs Grow

    BY Lara Browne
    According to data from Iran’s Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), Iran’s aluminum ingot production in the first seven months of the current year totaled 352,423 tonnes, marking a decline from the 367,091 tonnes produced during the same period last year. The decline reflects challenges in production across the country’s main aluminum...
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