Ivanhoe 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 MOREHindustan Copper, India’s only integrated copper mining company, has launched an expansion program to increase its ore production capacity from 3.75 million tonnes per annum to 12.2 MTPA by fiscal year 2030. The state-owned enterprise plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore ($238 million) over the next five years through internal funding to scale operations across...
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 MOREGlencore, the Anglo-Swiss mining giant led by CEO Gary Nagle, has accelerated its decision timeline for the Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery to September 2025, warning that multiple Australian processing facilities face imminent closure due to Chinese overcapacity driving treatment charges to record negative levels. The company estimates monthly losses of $30 million...
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 MOREUganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, led by Minister Ruth Nankabirwa, has launched comprehensive reforms to the country’s mineral licensing system aimed at addressing bureaucratic bottlenecks and transparency issues that have constrained investor confidence in the East African nation’s mining sector. The initiative, supported by a €6.2 million ($6.6 million) European Union and German...
READ MOREChinese mining companies have intensified investments across Africa’s copper-producing regions as Western nations implement restrictions on Chinese access to critical mineral assets, with the Democratic Republic of Congo emerging as the world’s second-largest copper producer through predominantly Chinese-backed operations. The strategic shift reflects China’s efforts to secure copper supplies essential for renewable energy infrastructure and...
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 MOREShuka Minerals, a UK-based mining company with a secondary listing on the JSE, has completed regulatory approvals to acquire Leopard Exploration and Mining, which controls the historic Kabwe Zinc Mine in central Zambia. The transaction, valued at $4.35 million through a combination of 28.6 million shares and $1.35 million cash, represents a significant gamble on...
READ MOREShengde Precious Metal Resources, a Chinese-backed mining company operating in Tanzania, has completed construction of the country’s first copper refinery in Nala, Dodoma Region, with commercial production scheduled to begin in July 2025. The facility represents Tanzania’s entry into domestic copper processing as the government implements a mandate requiring all copper mined within the country...
READ MOREIndonesia has attracted over $80 billion ($102.5 billion) in nickel smelting investments during the past decade and now seeks to replicate this success in copper processing, where the country operates only four copper smelters compared to more than 50 nickel facilities. The Southeast Asian nation’s copper industry has secured over $9 billion in recent investments,...
READ MOREFastmarkets, a London-based commodity intelligence firm specializing in metals and mining market analysis, forecasts that China will surpass Australia as the world’s largest lithium producer by 2026, marking a fundamental shift in global battery metal supply chains. Chinese mining operations are projected to extract 8,000-10,000 metric tonnes more lithium than Australian competitors next year, representing...
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 MOREVale, the Brazilian mining giant, has obtained a preliminary environmental license for its Bacaba copper project in the state of Pará, a crucial first step in a multi-billion-dollar strategy to double its copper production over the next decade. The company plans to invest approximately $290 million to develop the deposit, which is designed to extend...
READ MOREHunan Zhongke Electric, one of China’s leading lithium-ion battery anode material suppliers, has committed to investing $1.1 billion (8 billion yuan) in a manufacturing facility at Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone, marking the largest battery materials investment in the Middle East. The project will establish an integrated production base with annual capacity of 200,000 metric...
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...
READ MOREResearchers at Freiberg University in Germany have developed a hydrogen-based direct reduction process for tin smelting that eliminates carbon emissions while achieving over 99% metal purity. The breakthrough technology uses 3 grams of hydrogen per 100 grams of cassiterite concentrate at 1,300°C, offering a low-carbon alternative to traditional carbon-based tin production methods that have dominated...
READ MOREA chlorine gas leak at Kazakhstan’s Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant has raised concerns about potential supply disruptions that could drive global titanium prices up at least 15-20%, according to observers’ forecasts. The incident at UKTMP, which supplies 11% of global titanium production and 18% of aerospace-grade metal, highlights the concentrated nature of titanium supply...
READ MOREAnne Oxley, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Brazilian Nickel, has been elected Chairperson of the Nickel Institute, the global trade association representing leading nickel producers worldwide. The appointment, announced on June 3, 2025, positions Oxley to lead the industry’s efforts in promoting responsible nickel production and supporting the metal’s role in the transition to...
READ MOREValterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, commenced trading on the London Stock Exchange on June 2, 2025, marking the completion of its demerger from global mining company Anglo American. This move is a key component of Anglo American’s broader strategy to restructure its portfolio and concentrate on core assets, following the rejection of a $50...
READ MOREVale, Brazil’s largest mining company and a major global iron ore and nickel producer, and Brazil’s National Electric System Operator, the country’s power grid management authority, have reached an impasse over electricity allocation that threatens a $555 million nickel expansion project. ONS rejected Vale’s request to increase power consumption to 200 megawatts at its Onca...
READ MOREBHP Group, the world’s largest mining company and biggest iron ore producer, and Rio Tinto, a British-Australian multinational and the world’s second-largest mining company, have experienced share price pressure despite projections of massive demand increases for critical minerals. The International Energy Agency forecasts copper demand will increase 50%, nickel demand will more than double, and...
READ MORE
