Department of the Interior, federal resource agency, and the U.S. Geological Survey, science bureau, have proposed a 2025 list of 54 critical minerals that newly elevates copper and silver to “critical” status, shaping federal investment, permitting and stockpiling strategy for the next three years. The draft, to be posted in the Federal Register on August...
READ MORESernageomin, Chile’s mining regulator, and Codelco, state copper producer, have set stricter conditions for bringing shuttered zones of the El Teniente mine back online after a July 31 collapse that killed six workers. The regulator now requires a mine-wide follow-up and monitoring plan to assure stability and safety across underground deposits that remain closed. Codelco—having...
READ MOREMP Materials, rare-earths miner, and Albemarle, lithium producer, stand to benefit as the Commerce Department considers reallocating at least $2 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act toward mining, processing and recycling projects, according to people briefed on the talks. The shift would move money from semiconductor research and fab incentives to shore up U.S....
READ MORERio Tinto, diversified miner, and BHP, diversified miner, have had a planned federal land transfer for their Resolution Copper project in Arizona paused by a U.S. appeals court, prompting public criticism from President Donald Trump. The San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit issued a temporary stay of the transfer while it considers arguments from the San Carlos...
READ MOREJapan’s Cabinet Office Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP), a government R&D initiative, and research partners have set January 2026 for trial mining of rare-earth-bearing mud on the seabed off Minamitorishima, its easternmost territory, with pilot extraction targeted for the first half of fiscal 2027. The campaign—at around 6,000 meters depth—aims to cut exposure to China...
READ MOREThe United States, government, and Russia, government, are heading into talks in Anchorage on Aug. 15 with a controversial idea on the table: offering Moscow access to critical minerals as part of a package to halt the war in Ukraine, according to UK media reports echoed by US outlets. The suggestions include potential access to...
READ MOREAlbemarle, lithium producer, and Chile’s labor inspectorate, workplace regulator, have begun a formal review of an incident at the La Negra chemical complex near Antofagasta after a complaint that an acid-carrying pipe burst; the company’s facility is operating normally while the inquiry proceeds, according to people familiar with the site. What happened and what’s known...
READ MOREPemex, Mexico’s state oil company, and LitioMx, the national lithium vehicle, have put lithium on the company’s 2025–2035 agenda, with Pemex evaluating direct lithium extraction (DLE) from brines encountered in hydrocarbon wells across five states and considering a new subsidiary, “Pemex Lithium,” to process output into carbonate or hydroxide. Chief executive Víctor Rodríguez said initial...
READ MOREThe United States, government, and Switzerland, global refining hub, have stepped back from a tariff flashpoint after President Donald Trump posted that “Gold will not be Tariffed!”, easing market turmoil triggered by a July 31 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) letter that placed one-kilogram and 100-ounce bars under a duty-liable customs code. Prices steadied after...
READ MOREUnited States and Switzerland, global gold-refining hub, have upended bullion trade after Washington reclassified one-kilogram and 100-ounce bars under a tariff-liable customs code, exposing a core format for New York delivery to duties amid a wider 39% levy on Swiss imports. Futures in New York spiked to a record as traders scrambled to assess supply...
READ MORELiontown, lithium producer, and the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Australia’s state investment vehicle, have agreed an A$50 million ($32.6 million) equity investment to support ramp-up and the transition to underground mining at the Kathleen Valley project in Western Australia. The funding is part of a fully underwritten A$266 million ($173.5 million) placement priced at A$0.73...
READ MOREUnited States, government, and Cook Islands, Pacific micro-state, have begun negotiations on a programme to chart the island nation’s 1.96 million-km² exclusive economic zone, aiming to quantify polymetallic nodules that could feed battery supply chains and lessen China’s grip on critical minerals. The talks come five months after Avarua signed a five-year cooperation agreement with...
READ MOREGlencore, diversified miner-trader, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s cobalt gatekeeper, have disclosed that much of the Swiss group’s cobalt output may sit unsold through next year after Kinshasa extended its export suspension. Glencore lifted first-half cobalt production 19% to 18,900 t and now guides 2025 output at 42,000–45,000 t, yet tightened rules...
READ MOREValterra Platinum, South African PGM producer with Zimbabwe’s Unki mine, Impala’s Zimplats, and Mimosa, the Impala–Sibanye Stillwater joint venture, have been hit by unpaid local-currency proceeds under Zimbabwe’s foreign-exchange retention regime, after exporters shipped $690 million of PGM mattes and concentrates in the first half but have not received the 30% local-currency portion since January,...
READ MOREAustralia, resources exporter, and MP Materials, U.S. rare-earth producer, have moved to formalise price support in critical minerals, with Canberra studying price floors for rare earths and other inputs after Washington guaranteed a $110 per-kg floor for key oxides in a July deal with MP Materials. Shares in Australian names rose Tuesday, including Lynas Rare...
READ MOREChina’s Ministry of Commerce, trade regulator, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, science policymaker, have immediately updated the Catalogue of Technologies Subject to Export Prohibitions and Restrictions, adding export-licensing requirements for upstream and midstream battery technologies—most notably LFP/LMFP cathode preparation and lithium chemical/refining processes—and revising controls on gallium extraction methods. The final amendment follows...
READ MOREGlencore, Swiss commodities group, and the Queensland government are locked in urgent talks over the future of the Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery after Treasurer David Janetzki warned that closure—projected to incur losses of A$2.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) over seven years—would be a “national disgrace.”   Government Standoff Over Smelter Support The...
READ MOREInalum, the state-owned aluminium producer, has asked the Indonesian government to tighten raw-material import rules and stimulate domestic demand after Washington doubled its tariff on imported aluminium to 50 per cent. Company president Melati Sarnita told Parliament the new US levy could slash exports of processed Indonesian products by about 30,000 tonnes next year, squeezing...
READ MORERio Tinto, diversified mining group, has absorbed about $300 million in extra costs since March after the United States lifted import duties on Canadian aluminium to 50 per cent, a move the company says only partly offset by a surge in U.S. Midwest premiums for the metal. Tariff Impact on Rio’s Aluminium Flows The...
READ MORERusal, Russia’s largest aluminium producer, is negotiating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and key State Duma committees for new policy instruments that would ease the import of bauxite and alumina feedstock into Russia and allow the company to accelerate investment in mines and refineries in “friendly” jurisdictions. Deputy chief executive Oleg Vaitman told...
READ MOREChina’s Ministry of Commerce, the country’s trade regulator, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, its policy adviser, have revised the national list of technologies subject to export controls for the fourth time since 2001. The move inserts lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery-cathode preparation technology into the “restricted” column—requiring exporters to obtain a licence—while deleting three construction-related...
READ MOREA 50% proposed tariff on copper imports into the United States will have little impact on India’s copper sector. Its position as a net importer of the metal, along with record domestic demand from the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors, offers a significant buffer against the prospective trade disruption. An Import-Dependent Market India’s role...
READ MOREPresident Donald Trump has confirmed on July 9th that the United States will apply 50% tariffs to all imports of copper starting August 1st, after what he called a “robust national security assessment”. The news initiated the biggest one-day copper price rise in recorded history, with New York Comex futures jumping 17% before closing 2.6%...
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,...
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