Nickel miner Prony Resources New Caledonia is gearing up to restart production after a six-month suspension caused by civil unrest in the French territory. The company, which operates the Goro mine and a plant producing battery-grade nickel, has brought its staff back to the facilities as it prepares for a resumption of activities, according to...
READ MOREChinese battery giant CATL has announced the development of its second-generation sodium-ion battery, set to launch in 2025. Speaking at the World Young Scientists Summit, CATL’s chief scientist Wu Kai unveiled the new battery, which aims to enhance performance, particularly in cold conditions, and provide an alternative to lithium-ion technology. CATL’s new sodium-ion battery will...
READ MORECopper prices edged higher on Tuesday as the U.S. dollar rally paused, although concerns over demand from China and potential U.S. tariffs continued to weigh on the market. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose 0.5% to $9,114.50 per metric ton by 0320 GMT, while the most-traded December copper contract on the Shanghai...
READ MOREThe Aluminum Monthly Metals Index (MMI) posted a modest 1.38% increase from October to November, as aluminum prices moved sideways throughout October. Although aluminum prices only rose by 0.99% during the month, they managed to outperform other base metals, such as copper, nickel, zinc, and tin, which saw more significant declines. However, prices began slipping...
READ MOREAluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose on Tuesday, while prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) declined. The market is reacting to China’s recent announcement to remove a 13% export tax refund for certain aluminium products starting December 1. Three-month aluminium on the LME was up 0.6% at $2,623 per metric ton...
READ MOREKorea Zinc, the world’s largest producer in the non-ferrous metals sector, has had its patented technology for processing secondary battery precursors officially recognized by the South Korean government as a national core technology. This designation means that the government will manage the technology with special oversight, particularly in matters of mergers and acquisitions involving foreign...
READ MOREKorea Zinc Co.’s chairman, Choi Yun-beom, will step down from his role as the head of the board after canceling a planned $1.8 billion share sale. The decision is seen as an attempt to address concerns from the company’s largest shareholder amid an ongoing battle for control. The world’s largest refined zinc producer announced on...
READ MOREFrom January to September 2024, China significantly increased its imports of copper concentrate from Russia, as reported by Vedomosti, citing data from the Main Customs Department of China. Over this period, imports of raw copper materials rose by 36% year-on-year, totaling 310,000 tons. Conversely, exports of finished copper products, including wire, profiles, sheets, tubes, and...
READ MOREAccording 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...
READ MOREAccording 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...
READ MOREIn October, China’s production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) rose by 7.8% month-on-month (MoM), reaching a total of 251,700 tonnes. This growth was supported by stable demand from the automotive market and expanding energy storage needs both domestically and internationally. LFP batteries are increasingly used in electric vehicles (EVs) and large-scale energy storage solutions, driving...
READ MOREIn October, China’s cobalt sulfate production totaled 19,527 tonnes, representing a decline of 1.04% month-on-month (MoM) and 10.13% year-on-year (YoY). The cumulative production from January to October reached 228,121 tonnes, with a decrease of 7.28% YoY. The market faced sluggish downstream demand, and end-side users showed limited interest in building up stocks. Additionally, cobalt sulfate...
READ MOREJiangxi Copper Company Limited, a prominent copper producer, has forecasted that its sales from processed nonferrous metals will reach \$47.06 billion over the next five years. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Nanchang, China, the company is involved in the exploration, mining, milling, smelting, and refining of copper and related products across Mainland China, Hong...
READ MOREYoung Poong, the world’s sixth-largest zinc smelter, has been ordered to suspend operations at its Seokpo refinery facility for two months due to the unauthorized discharge of polluted wastewater. The shutdown is expected to impact the company’s ongoing attempt to secure ownership control of Korea Zinc, its affiliate and the world’s largest zinc producer. Earlier...
READ MOREA critical minerals agreement with the United States could help reduce the Philippines’ dependence on Chinese and Indonesian exports and enable the country to focus on producing nickel suitable for battery use, according to Nickel Asia Corp. President and CEO Martin Antonio G. Zamora. Speaking at the Pilipinas Conference 2024, Zamora explained that China, the...
READ MOREJérôme Baudelet, CEO of nickel producer Eramet Indonesia, predicts that Indonesia will become the world’s largest nickel producer in the next decade, thanks to significant increases in production volumes. In 2023, Indonesia supplied 55% of the world’s total nickel production, highlighting the country’s growing influence on the global nickel market. Baudelet expects that by 2034,...
READ MORECopper processing costs are on a downward trend, potentially reaching their lowest level in 15 years by 2025. This decline is driven by a combination of disruptions at mining operations and an increase in smelting capacity, primarily in China. The reduction in Treatment and Refining Charges (TC/RCs) for copper is expected to put significant pressure...
READ MOREFor every tonne of copper used in renewable energy systems, carbon emissions are reduced by between 100 and 7,500 tonnes over the system’s lifecycle, according to the International Copper Association (ICA). As India transitions to renewable energy, copper has emerged as a key material in the generation, transmission, and storage of clean energy, thanks to...
READ MORENickel Industries is strengthening its position as a major global nickel resource holder through strategic acquisitions in Indonesia. In August 2024, the company acquired the Sampala project and a 51% stake in the Siduarsi project, amid a severe nickel ore shortage in Indonesia. This shortage has driven a 45% increase in local nickel prices since...
READ MOREThe price of alumina, a crucial raw material for aluminium production, has reached a record high of $707.59 per tonne. This surge is attributed to ongoing supply and production issues in major exporting countries like Guinea, Australia, and China, as reported by ZeroHedge. In Guinea, a leading supplier of bauxite, challenges in foreign trade and...
READ MOREThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating Freeport-McMoRan Inc. regarding its alleged failure to disclose earthquake risks associated with its newly built $3.7 billion Manyar copper smelter in Indonesia. The investigation was prompted by an anonymous complaint from a former contractor who claimed the complex could be at risk of collapsing into the...
READ MOREChina has strengthened its dominance over critical minerals essential for high-tech and renewable energy industries amid escalating geopolitical competition. Western nations are striving to regain market share, while countries in the Global South seek to capitalize on rising demand. In 2023, Chinese companies invested $16 billion in foreign mines—the highest level in a decade, up...
READ MOREUzbekistan’s Enter Engineering has entered a $215 million cooperation agreement with FLSmidth Inc., a global supplier of mining equipment and services, to develop a new concentrating line at Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex’s (Almalyk MMC) MOF-4 plant. The project aims to increase copper processing and production capacity at Almalyk MMC. The agreement includes the supply...
READ MOREThe lithium market has entered a period of declining prices due to weaker demand conditions and an oversupply of lithium carbonate in key regions. In October, seaborne lithium carbonate prices in Asia dropped by 3.8%, settling at around $10,000 per metric ton, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. This drop is attributed to the seasonal...
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