Contract Termination Caps Off-taker Risk The original 2018 contract obliged Cloud Snurran to supply a baseload 300 gigawatt-hours (GWh) a year from 2020 to 2030, rising to 550 GWh annually between 2031 and 2049—equivalent to roughly 0.3 % and 0.6 % respectively of Hydro’s normal-year equity power output in Norway. Deliveries stopped in November 2024...
READ MOREAugusta Gold, a Canadian junior focused on southern Nevada, and AngloGold Ashanti, a Denver-based multinational gold producer, have agreed an all-cash transaction under which AngloGold will acquire all outstanding Augusta shares for C$1.70 (US$1.24) apiece, valuing the equity at roughly C$152 mn (US$111 mn). Including the repayment of about C$45 mn (US$33 mn) in shareholder...
READ MOREIvanhoe Electric’s Santa Cruz project in south-central Arizona is hurtling toward construction early next year. A recently filed feasibility study outlines a 23-year underground operation capable of turning out 72,000 tonnes of copper cathode a year during its first 15 years—enough to make it the most productive U.S. mine since 2007. The sprint to production...
READ MOREBHP—the world’s biggest listed miner and a heavyweight in iron ore, copper and metallurgical coal—has struck memoranda of understanding with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), China’s battery behemoth, and FinDreams Battery, the cell-making arm of EV giant BYD. Together they will develop battery-electric haul trucks, locomotives and on-site charging kits for BHP operations worldwide. The goal:...
READ MOREChina has made a huge lithium ore deposit discovery with 490 million tons of lithium and companion minerals in Hunan Province, another advance in the nation’s drive to lock in domestic battery metal supplies. The find in the Jijiaoshan mine area of Linwu County is one of China’s largest mineral discoveries in recent years and...
READ MOREBolivia’s Chamber of Deputies saw fiery altercations on July 9th when legislators discussed the contentious $975 million lithium extraction deal with Russia’s Uranium One Group. The session, which started at 17:00 hours, laid bare the deep rifts between government allies and opposition lawmakers calling for more regional involvement in the decision-making process. The agreement to...
READ MOREIndonesian authorities withdrew four of five nickel concessions in Raja Ampat, Western Papua province, after mass environmental activism that drew international scrutiny for one of Earth’s most richest marine habitats. It followed after international interest that had turned toward Papua mining operations upon the island chain that’s chock full of coral, which harbors 75 percent...
READ MOREA two-member expert committee has submitted recommendations to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for reopening Vedanta’s shuttered Sterlite Copper smelter in Thoothukudi through a “green restart” approach, seven years after the facility’s closure following deadly protests that killed 13 civilians. The proposal comes amid global copper supply constraints and mounting pressure on Western smelting...
READ MOREThe Battery Metals Association of Canada, a trade organization representing battery-metals explorers and producers, has released comprehensive reports identifying Western Canada as an optimal location for mid-stream critical-minerals processing facilities that could capture greater economic value from the country’s abundant mineral resources. The analysis, conducted by Transition Accelerator consultants, targets nine critical minerals—including copper, lithium,...
READ MORENigeria has unveiled plans to construct what officials describe as Africa’s largest rare earth processing facility alongside four lithium processing plants, representing over $1.4 billion in announced investments as the West African nation attempts to transform its artisanal mining sector into industrial-scale operations. The initiative includes a $600 million lithium plant spanning Kaduna and Niger...
READ MOREHalliburton, a US oilfield services company with operations spanning drilling, completion, and production services, has been awarded a contract by GeoFrame Energy, a privately-held lithium development company, to design demonstration wells in the Smackover Formation of East Texas. The project targets lithium extraction from geothermal brines using direct lithium extraction technology, with work expected to...
READ MORENth Cycle, a Boston-area technology company co-founded by MIT Associate Professor Desirée Plata, CEO Megan O’Connor, and Chief Scientist Chad Vecitis, has launched commercial operations at a facility in Fairfield, Ohio, producing mixed hydroxide precipitate containing nickel and cobalt from electronic waste and battery scrap. The company’s “electro-extraction” technology represents an attempt to challenge Chinese...
READ MOREEurasian Resources Group, a Kazakhstan-based mining conglomerate with operations across Africa and Central Asia, plans to invest $20 million in gallium production facilities that would position Kazakhstan as the world’s second-largest producer of the critical semiconductor metal after China. The company will extract gallium from bauxite ore waste streams at its existing alumina operations, targeting...
READ MOREThe International Copper Study Group, a global intergovernmental organization monitoring copper markets, reported that worldwide refined copper surplus declined marginally to 233,000 tonnes during the first four months of 2025 compared to 236,000 tonnes in the corresponding period of 2024. Global refined copper production increased 3.2% year-over-year to 9.4 million tonnes while consumption expanded 3.3%...
READ MOREThe Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (CoMP) has warned that the recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are likely to heighten volatility in industrial metals markets, particularly nickel and copper, while prompting investors to seek refuge in gold. The assessment comes as global commodity and financial markets react to escalating geopolitical tensions in...
READ MORECentral Asia Metals (CAML), a British non-ferrous metals mining company, has revised its offer to acquire Australia’s New World Resources, raising the value to A$197 million (approximately US$130 million) from the initial A$185 million (US$119 million), according to a company announcement. The updated terms include immediate interim financing of $10 million as part of the...
READ MOREVale Base Metals, the copper and nickel unit of Brazilian mining giant Vale SA, is aiming for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) by 2027 or potentially sooner, according to CEO Shaun Usmar. The move is intended to position the subsidiary for a premium valuation over other metals producers and provide strategic flexibility in a dynamic...
READ MORESK Nexilis, a subsidiary of SKC specializing in copper foil manufacturing for secondary batteries, has secured a $110 million investment from Japan’s Toyota Tsusho. The deal, formalized at a signing ceremony in Seoul on June 18, 2025, involves the transfer of a partial stake in SK Nexilis’ Malaysian subsidiary to Toyota Tsusho. This partnership is...
READ MORERussia is planning to double its copper production over the next 15 years, leveraging massive, untapped deposits in its Far East to meet soaring global demand for the metal, which is critical for the green energy transition. Oleg Kazanov, head of the Russian Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Rosnedra), confirmed the ambitious target, stating that...
READ MOREChina imported 2.4 million metric tonnes of copper concentrate in May 2025, an 18% decline from April’s all-time high, according to customs data. Despite the sharp month-on-month drop, imports were up 5.8% compared to May 2024 and year-to-date volumes reached 12.4 million tonnes, a 7.4% increase over the same period last year. The data underscores...
READ MOREAccording to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), a leading Chinese metals industry data provider, China produced 551,500 metric tonnes of refined zinc in May 2025, marking a 2% increase compared to May 2024 but a 1% decline from April 2025. The cumulative output for the first five months reached approximately 2.658 million tonnes, representing a modest...
READ MOREChina’s East Hope Group, a diversified industrial conglomerate controlled by billionaire Liu Yongxing, has secured government backing for a $12 billion vertically integrated aluminum production complex in Kazakhstan. The project, announced following a meeting between Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and East Hope Group founder and CEO Liu Yongxing, will establish the country’s first large-scale...
READ MOREThe physical and chemical properties of aluminium Aluminium is one of the most versatile substances used in modern industry, valued for its light weight, malleability, resistance to corrosion, and conductivity of heat. Having the density value of only 2.7 g/cm³, aluminium is about one-third lighter than steel, hence making it especially suitable in applications where...
READ MOREThe Indonesian Nickel Miners Association has received government approval to establish a domestic metal exchange targeting a first-half 2026 launch, as the world’s largest nickel producer seeks greater influence over global pricing after nickel ended 2024 at four-year lows. The exchange will initially focus on nickel pig iron futures contracts before expanding to other nickel...
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