Chile has designated six additional sites for private companies to extract lithium, adding to the six priority areas previously announced in September, the mining ministry said on Thursday. The move aims to boost lithium production by encouraging private sector involvement in the mining of this critical battery metal. Chile, the world’s second-largest producer of lithium,...
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 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 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 MOREA mining technology startup in Newark, New Jersey, is developing an innovative method to extract copper from ores that are currently too costly or complex for traditional mining techniques. The startup, Still Bright, is experimenting with vanadium—a rare metal—to unlock copper resources essential for the clean energy transition. The technology, if successful, could help address...
READ MOREEarth AI, a clean energy metals exploration company, and its partner Legacy Minerals announced the discovery of what could be Australia’s largest palladium deposit. The discovery, named Fontenoy, is located in Warmbath on the southwestern slopes of New South Wales, within the mineral-rich Lachlan Fold Belt. Earth AI reported the identification of a two-square-kilometer mineralized...
READ MOREThe ratio of Kazakhstan’s proven gold reserves to the country’s gold production currently stands at 1.2, indicating that explored gold reserves exceed current production levels, according to Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev. This means that Kazakhstan’s gold reserves are in a healthy state, with more being discovered than is being extracted. For copper,...
READ MOREThe combined third-quarter production of the 20 largest zinc miners rose by 32.7% year over year and by 8.0% quarter over quarter, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The total output for these top 20 companies reached 1.5 million metric tons (MMt) in the September quarter, compared to 1.2 MMt in the same...
READ MOREAccording to data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), Africa’s primary aluminium production saw a modest recovery in October 2024, increasing by 3,000 tonnes or 2.24% month-on-month (M-o-M). The production volume for October stood at 137,000 tonnes, up from 134,000 tonnes in September. Despite the gains, there was an average daily output shortfall of 100...
READ MOREScientists have developed a stable nickel-based catalyst with a copper admixture capable of converting ethanol into synthesis gas with 95% efficiency. This process, which utilizes ethanol produced from carbon dioxide, offers a potential solution for reducing greenhouse gases while producing synthesis gas used in chemical production and power generation. The study, supported by the Russian...
READ MORESaudi Arabia has signed nine investment deals in the metals and mining sector worth over 35 billion riyals ($9.32 billion) with various international companies, including India’s Vedanta and China’s Zijin Group. The deals were announced during the World Investment Conference in Riyadh, as part of the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, a program under Saudi...
READ MOREEcuador’s exports of copper, lead, and precious metals fell during the first three quarters of the year compared to the same period last year, as the country’s largest mines limited production, the government announced on November 25. Copper-lead concentrates dropped 16.7% to 447,277 metric tons (mt) through September, down from 536,684 mt a year earlier....
READ MOREMore than 180 employees are being laid off at U.S. Magnesium, the only company commercially producing lithium in Utah. On Monday, the Utah Department of Workforce Services announced 186 layoffs from U.S. Magnesium’s Salt Lake City division. The layoffs are part of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires certain employers to...
READ MOREScientists have uncovered a vast lithium reserve worth nearly £429 billion ($540 billion) beneath California’s Salton Sea, revealing a staggering potential supply of the valuable element. The Salton Sea, already known to be sitting on a lithium reserve, was found to conceal far more of the element than previously thought. A new study, funded by...
READ MOREIndonesia is tightening supplies of nickel ore to protect smaller local miners as the global market for the battery metal faces a prolonged slump, according to French miner Eramet. The move has affected the world’s largest nickel mine, operated by Eramet in North Maluku province, after Indonesia allocated it a sales quota that was 29%...
READ MOREElon Musk has ascended to a powerful position within President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle, but for the critical minerals sector, Musk has long been a key market mover. The Tesla CEO has wielded his influence—amplified by his social media platform X (formerly Twitter)—to call for more lithium processing, push for increased nickel production, and invest...
READ MOREThe Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially reopened on Thursday, with President Félix Tshisekedi presiding over the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The high-grade mine, operated as a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) and the DRC state-owned miner Gécamines, marks an important milestone in the revitalization of the country’s mining...
READ MOREGlencore is advancing efforts to extract more copper from lower-quality ore at its Lomas Bayas mine in northern Chile. The company has started on-site testing of a new leaching technology developed by Ceibo, a Chilean startup supported by BHP Group. The move comes as part of the mining industry’s push to increase metal yields from...
READ MOREPeru’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...
READ MOREThe Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion has launched the Aluminium Initiative in Suhar, in the North Al Batinah Governorate. This ambitious project aligns with Oman’s Industrial Strategy 2040, aiming to diversify the economy and promote sustainable industrial growth. The initiative seeks to create an integrated economic cluster focused on downstream aluminium industries, emphasizing...
READ MOREAluminium and renewable energy company Hydro has launched a new initiative to decarbonize its aluminium plants in Germany by starting local, onsite solar energy production and implementing energy efficiency measures. The first solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Offenburg have been completed and are now in interim operation. In addition to Offenburg, Hydro’s facilities in Rackwitz...
READ MOREAfter a year of declining lithium prices due to a surplus market, some analysts are optimistic that the market will recover by 2030. For African nations, keeping development on schedule will be critical as they look to capitalize on the anticipated resurgence. Countries such as Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and others are positioning themselves to increase lithium...
READ MOREPlans for the extraction of a key raw material used in electric vehicle production are under threat in Serbia as environmental protests grow. The Jadar Valley project, aimed at extracting 58,000 tons of lithium annually, has faced increasing opposition from local communities who fear environmental damage. Mining giant Rio Tinto is facing delays that could...
READ MORENew 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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