According 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 exports of unwrought aluminum and assorted aluminum products have faced downward pressure in 2025, with total exports for the first quarter falling by more than 7% to 1.37 million tons. This structural decline persists despite short-term rebounds driven by favorable price arbitrage, as deep-seated international trade barriers and powerful domestic consumption continue to reshape...
READ MOREThe Indonesian government is launching a new drive to attract investment into its downstream copper sector, aiming to transform the nation from a primary processor into a manufacturer of high-value, secondary products for the global electronics and electric vehicle industries. An official from the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming confirmed that the government is preparing...
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 Indonesian government has revoked the mining permits of four nickel companies in the ecologically fragile Raja Ampat archipelago, a UNESCO Global Geopark renowned for its marine biodiversity. The decision, announced by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, follows a high-profile public campaign by Greenpeace Indonesia that exposed significant environmental damage from mining activities....
READ MOREToshiba, a Japanese electronics and industrial conglomerate, has begun delivering samples of its new rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the ‘SCiB Nb’, to manufacturers. Developed in partnership with Brazilian niobium producer CBMM and Japanese trading company Sojitz Corporation, the battery utilizes a niobium-titanium oxide (NTO) anode to deliver an estimated service life of 15,000 cycles and an...
READ MOREConstellium, a global aluminum products manufacturer, has entered a collaboration with Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, a digital manufacturing solutions company, and America Makes, a US public-private partnership for additive manufacturing, to broaden the use of its Aheadd CP1 aluminum alloy in the United States defense and aerospace sectors. The $2.1 million project is funded by the...
READ MOREEuropean aluminium scrap exports to the United States have surged 273% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, threatening to create critical shortages for European recyclers as US tariffs drive unprecedented demand for scrap metal. The crisis stems from the US doubling Section 232 tariffs on aluminium imports from...
READ MOREThe world’s second-largest aluminum producer by volume Rusal’s shareholders voted against providing extensive internal documentation to Sual Partners, the aluminum producer’s largest minority shareholder, during an extraordinary general meeting held in Russia. The decision blocks Sual Partners from accessing decades of correspondence, board communications, and investment records that the company had demanded by May 30,...
READ MORENornickel, Russia’s largest metals company and the world’s leading producer of refined nickel and palladium, and Ecofes, a Russian water purification equipment manufacturer, have completed industrial testing of palladium-enhanced electrodes that reduce power consumption by 18.6% in sodium hypochlorite production for water treatment facilities. The first commercial installation of 560 palladium anodes is now operational...
READ MORESolus Advanced Materials, a South Korean copper foil manufacturer operating Europe’s only battery-grade copper foil production facility, and CATL, China’s largest battery manufacturer with 40% global market share, have entered a supply agreement for copper foil deliveries to CATL’s European battery manufacturing operations. The partnership will see Solus supplying copper foil produced at its Hungarian...
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 MOREGlencore withdrew approximately 15,000 tonnes of Russian copper from London Metal Exchange warehouses in Rotterdam over three trading sessions, planning to deliver the metal to China amid severe supply tightness in the world’s largest copper market. The withdrawals pushed LME copper inventories to their lowest level in a year, highlighting the growing desperation among traders...
READ MOREFrench mining group Eramet is evaluating lithium extraction opportunities in Kazakhstan’s Aral Sea region while examining rutile and zirconium sand deposits across the country. Aerospace manufacturer Safran is simultaneously exploring potential rhenium supply agreements with Kazakhstan, according to Industry and Construction Minister Ersayin Nagaspayev during the Kazakh-French Investment Forum held in Astana on May 28....
READ MOREKAZ Minerals reported a decrease in copper production in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The Kazakhstan-based producer attributed the decline primarily to lower ore grades across its operations, though output remained slightly above the level produced in the previous quarter. The company experienced reduced by-product volumes due to...
READ MOREGerman copper producer Aurubis recorded a net profit of 76 million euros ($83.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a 28% decline from the same period last year. The company attributed the profit reduction to higher energy costs and decreased remuneration payments from mining partners for smelting and refining services. Despite profitability challenges,...
READ MOREGlobal alumina production, a key raw material for aluminum smelting, declined to 12.41 million tonnes in April, down 2% from the previous month, according to data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), an industry association. The drop was driven primarily by reduced output in China, which accounts for nearly 60% of global production. However, year-over-year...
READ MOREMopani Copper Mines (MCM) is advancing underground infrastructure projects aimed at unlocking 8.5 million tonnes of copper ore over the next four to five years, as part of efforts to significantly raise copper cathode production. CEO Charles Sakanya stated that the company’s goal is to double cathode output to more than 500,000 tonnes within 10...
READ MOREValterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, began trading as an independent company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Wednesday, finalizing its separation from parent Anglo American. The debut marks the completion of a major restructuring move by Anglo, which is shifting its focus to copper and iron ore after fending off a $49 billion takeover...
READ MORENigeria is set to commission two large lithium processing plants this year, marking a major step away from exporting raw minerals and toward building value within the country. Mining Minister Dele Alake announced that a $600 million lithium processing facility near the Kaduna-Niger border will be commissioned this quarter, while a $200 million refinery near...
READ MOREFacing higher tariffs and trade barriers in the United States and European Union, Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers are rapidly pivoting their international strategy toward Africa and other emerging markets. This shift is marked by a surge in Chinese-backed EV and battery plants, flagship model launches, and expanding local assembly operations across the continent. In...
READ MOREIn Hachinohe, Japan, representatives from major metals traders and manufacturers—including Mitsubishi, Glencore, and Panasonic Energy—recently gathered at a nickel plant to examine samples of deep-sea ore retrieved from the Pacific Ocean floor. The event, organized by Canadian mining company The Metals Company (TMC), showcased materials collected from about 4,000 meters below the ocean’s surface. Attendees...
READ MORENornickel, a leading global mining company, and Rusnano, a state-backed Russian technology investment corporation established in 2007 to develop and commercialize innovative technologies, have announced plans to create a joint venture focused on extracting valuable metals from industrial waste materials. Rusnano, founded with significant government funding as part of Russia’s modernization efforts, specializes in investing...
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