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...
READ MOREAnglo-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...
READ MOREChinese 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...
READ MOREAccording 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...
READ MOREBHP Group is expected to invest at least $7 billion in copper extraction from the Escondida mine in Chile in the coming years, according to analysts quoted by Reuters. Representatives of BHP may announce these plans next week during a roadshow for the Escondida and Spence deposits. Copper is a critical element in BHP’s long-term...
READ MOREScientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), in collaboration with an international team, have successfully synthesized a new class of photocatalytic materials for hydrogen production from water molecules using electrospark erosion. This marks the first time such materials have been synthesized through this method, and the university emphasizes their potential in advancing ‘green’ energy solutions. The...
READ MOREChina Nonferrous Mining Corporation (CNMC) has committed to investing over $1.5 billion in Zambia to boost copper production, as part of a broader effort to support the country in reaching its goal of 3 million tonnes of copper output annually by 2031. Projects under this investment include the redevelopment of Shaft 28 in Luanshya and...
READ MOREExports of copper concentrate from Russia to China surged by 36% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2024, reaching 310,000 tonnes, according to data from China’s General Customs Administration. In September alone, shipments rose one and a half times to 35,000 tonnes. While concentrate exports increased, Russian exports of finished copper products like wire,...
READ MOREIndustry sources indicate that the incoming Trump US administration is planning to adopt a stricter approach toward allowing Chinese-owned or operated raw materials, such as nickel, to qualify for credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Washington insiders told Fastmarkets that one of the new administration’s early actions will likely be to tighten the Foreign...
READ MORENorthvolt AB, the financially struggling European battery manufacturer, has reached an agreement to sell its US factory to Lyten, a California-based startup focused on lithium-sulfur batteries. This move is part of Lyten’s broader effort to reduce America’s reliance on China for battery production. Under the terms of the deal, Lyten will invest $50 million over...
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 MOREChina’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...
READ MOREOn November 13, 2024, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) stated that increased utilization of aluminium and recycled copper could help China manage its limited copper resources. Ge Honglin, Chairman of CNIA, emphasized that Chinese smelters face challenges due to constrained copper concentrate supplies, which is impacting their profitability. He noted that smelter profits...
READ MOREPiedmont 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...
READ MORELiqTech International, a high-tech filtration technology company, announced today that it has received an order from a leading technology company for lithium brine production in the United States. This order marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to expand its specialized filtration products into the lithium extraction market. The growth of electric vehicles (EVs)...
READ MORESecuring nickel that complies with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) requirements is expected to become even more challenging. The US president-elect, Donald Trump, is likely to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to allowing Chinese-owned or operated supplies of raw materials like nickel to qualify for IRA credits. Washington sources told Fastmarkets that one of the first...
READ MOREThe Deposit and Management Fund (CDG) and Gotion High-Tech group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the electric battery gigafactory currently under development in Kenitra, Morocco. The MoU was signed on Wednesday in Hefei, China, by CDG’s CEO Khalid Safir and Gotion High-Tech’s Chairman Li Zhen. According to a press release from...
READ MOREMineral 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...
READ MORELithium-ion battery (LIB) recycler Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., based in Toronto, has entered into an agreement for a loan of up to US$475 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The loan consists of up to $445 million in principal and up to $30 million in capitalized interest and is being provided through the DOE’s...
READ MOREChina has announced plans to inject up to $5 billion into Zambia’s mining industry by 2031, with the goal of boosting copper and cobalt production. The investments will be facilitated through a newly established entity, the Chinese Mining Enterprise Association in Zambia, as stated by the Zambian government on November 13, 2024. The Chinese government,...
READ MOREAurubis 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...
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 MOREAnalysts at VTB My Investments have revised their list of the top 10 shares of Russian companies, adding shares of Nornickel and excluding those of Polyus. According to the broker’s latest report, the current composition of the top list includes: Nornickel, Gazprom, Astra Group, Rusal, LUKOIL, ALROSA, Moscow Exchange, Headhunter, Yandex, and Sberbank. The decision...
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...
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