Calgary-based nanotechnology company Litus has announced that its lithium extraction pilot is now operational, marking a significant milestone in the lithium market. The successful scale-up is expected to unlock vast, untapped energy resources in North America and Europe, according to the company. This achievement follows the opening of its patented nanomaterial production facility in Calgary...
READ MORECanadian base and precious metals miner Sierra Metals (TSX: SMT | OTCQX: SMTSF) announced that its Yauricocha polymetallic mine in Peru has reached full production. The underground copper-gold-silver mine is now processing ore at a throughput rate of 3,600 tonnes per day, a 30% increase compared to December 2023 levels. The milestone follows the receipt...
READ MOREPlans for a \$1-billion lithium-ion battery cell production facility in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, have been shelved. The parent company, Taiwan Cement Corp., announced that construction has been halted to focus on production in Taiwan, aligning with similar decisions by other battery manufacturers to suspend projects across North America. The Canadian plant, which was initially...
READ MOREAlpha HPA, an Australian-based aluminium chemicals company, has begun production of battery metals precursor materials at its Stage 1 plant in Gladstone, Queensland. Construction of the company’s Stage 2 commercial plant is also well underway, according to a recent investor update. Now, the company is planning to develop an additional high-purity aluminium (HPA) manufacturing facility...
READ MOREAs the world accelerates towards green energy solutions, experts are raising concerns about an impending copper shortage that could threaten efforts to provide clean and affordable energy. Swiss bank UBS forecasts a supply deficit of over 200,000 tons by 2025, while the International Energy Forum emphasizes the urgent need for over a billion tons of...
READ MOREMarula Mining has announced that mining operations at its Blesberg Lithium and Tantalum Mine in South Africa will transition to a contract mining basis starting February 2025. This decision follows a successful competitive tender process that concluded over the past three months, with the selected mining contractor expected to mobilize in early 2025. The shift...
READ MOREChilean miner Antofagasta and China’s Jiangxi Copper have agreed to significantly lower processing fees for copper concentrate in 2025, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. The agreed treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) of $21.25 per ton and 2.125 cents per pound represent a steep 73.4% drop from the $80 per ton and...
READ MORELithiumBank has announced positive results from its direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant tests conducted in Calgary, Canada. The company produced a 3,100-mg/L lithium eluate after rejecting over 99% of impurities, demonstrating strong potential for efficient lithium recovery. The tests involved the creation of multiple lithium-rich eluates, with concentrations ranging from 2,600 mg/L to 4,000...
READ MOREMitsubishi Corp. has reported a loss of over $90 million in its Chinese operations following suspected fraudulent activity by one of its copper traders. The loss is the latest in a series of incidents affecting major commodity trading firms, raising concerns about the risks individual traders may pose when handling substantial sums in global commodity...
READ MORENegotiations between major overseas aluminum producers and Japanese trading companies over premiums for aluminum ingots for the January-March 2025 period are expected to be prolonged, with some officials suggesting talks could continue into next year. Overseas producers have proposed premiums of $230 to $260 per ton, marking a 31-49% increase from the previous quarter’s rate...
READ MOREThe United States is making significant investments in the Lobito rail corridor, which links Angola’s Atlantic coast to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. The aim is to secure access to critical minerals like copper and cobalt, which are essential for electric vehicles and the broader energy transition away from fossil fuels. Revitalized...
READ MOREThe European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a 30 million euro loan agreement with Andalusian company Cunext to finance the construction of a copper cathode production plant in Córdoba. The facility will use recycled materials, specifically copper anodes, to produce high-purity copper through advanced electrolysis technology, aiming to reduce reliance on primary copper sourced from...
READ MOREKazakhstan and the United Kingdom are advancing their partnership in the field of critical minerals, with British companies actively negotiating supply contracts with Kazakhstani producers of tungsten products. Six brokers from the UK and three end users are currently in talks to secure these materials, reflecting growing interest in strengthening supply chains for essential metals....
READ MORETechnology initially designed to chart other worlds is now helping reveal critical minerals in the American West, crucial to the United States’ renewable energy future. A NASA ER-2 research aircraft recently took to the skies above the desert, scanning the ground for essential minerals as part of the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx). The project,...
READ MORENumerous European automakers have begun cutting jobs and closing factories, reflecting a slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) demand and the impact of low lithium prices. Swedish battery producer Northvolt recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, while Portuguese energy firm Galp has reversed its plans to proceed with the Aurora lithium project...
READ MOREActivist investor Palliser Capital has intensified its efforts to pressure Rio Tinto into abandoning its primary listing in London, demanding an independent review of the mining giant’s corporate structure in Australia, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Palliser initially called for Rio Tinto to drop its London listing and unify its corporate structure in Australia...
READ MOREAccording to SMM, Chile’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported a 3.0% year-over-year increase in the country’s manufacturing production in October. The agency also noted that copper production in October rose by 6.7% year-over-year to 492,804 metric tons. Chile remains the world’s largest copper producer, maintaining its key role in the global copper supply chain.
READ MOREThe industrial parks management board of Nam Định Province has approved the development of an aluminium alloy factory by an investor from Hong Kong (China). The \$90 million facility will be constructed on a 12.3-hectare site in the Mỹ Thuận Industrial Park and will be operated by Joint Wise Corporation, a subsidiary of the Kim...
READ MOREIvanhoe Mines announced that the Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) set a new monthly production record of 45,019 tonnes of copper in concentrate during November. The concentrators processed 1.2 million tonnes of ore with an average feed grade of 4.58% copper....
READ MORERio Tinto and Sumitomo Metal Mining (SMM) have signed a term sheet for a joint venture to advance the Winu copper-gold project, located in the Great Sandy Desert region of Western Australia. Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will continue to develop and operate Winu as the managing partner, while SMM will acquire a 30% equity...
READ MOREMany Chinese metal importers have stopped purchasing US copper scrap in anticipation of potential tariffs as Donald Trump prepares to assume the presidency, according to Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. The halt in purchases began in mid-November, as these shipments would likely arrive around the time of Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the state-owned researcher...
READ MOREShares of Korea Zinc, the world’s largest zinc smelter, surged by the maximum daily limit on Monday, following news that the company’s board will soon meet to discuss the potential calling of an extraordinary shareholder meeting. The meeting, set for January 23, 2025, could pave the way for a crucial vote to elect a new...
READ MOREA lesser-known metal, antimony, has experienced a 300% price rally this year, outpacing gains in gold, silver, and even Bitcoin. Western nations have embarked on a \$100 billion spending spree to replenish their military arsenals, including cruise missiles, artillery shells, javelins, and armored vehicles—all of which require antimony. However, the United States does not produce...
READ MOREThe volume of Russian aluminium imports to South Korea reached its highest level in over 12 years this October, according to calculations based on data from the Korean statistical service by RIA Novosti. In October 2024, South Korea’s purchases of aluminium from Russia totaled $96.5 million, marking the maximum monthly import volume since June 2012,...
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