Western metal smelting operations face an unprecedented crisis as competition with technology companies for electricity resources drives power costs beyond economically viable levels, threatening government efforts to reshore critical industrial capacity. The crisis has intensified as artificial intelligence data centers consume increasing amounts of electricity, with tech companies willing to pay double traditional industrial rates...
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 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 MORELondon Metal Exchange copper has posted a 12% gain through the first half of 2025, outperformed only by volatile tin markets, as US President Donald Trump’s trade investigation launched in February created substantial price differentials between American and international markets. The CME copper contract currently trades at a $1,200 per metric ton premium over LME...
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 MORERio Tinto, a British-Australian multinational and the world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation, has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Reed Advanced Materials, an Australian lithium technology developer, to validate the ELi Process that could reduce processing costs for converting lithium brines into battery-grade chemicals. The collaboration builds on successful pilot trials conducted at...
READ MOREHindalco Industries, India’s largest aluminium producer and metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has acquired AluChem Companies, a US specialty alumina manufacturer operating since 1978, for $125 million as part of a broader strategy to capture growing demand from electric vehicle and semiconductor industries. The transaction provides the Indian metals giant with 60,000 tonnes...
READ MORECymat Technologies, a Canadian manufacturer of stabilized aluminum foam founded in 2006, and Rio Tinto Alcan, a major global aluminum producer and the sole major supplier of proprietary metal matrix composites, have entered into a letter of intent for the acquisition of MMC technology and customer relationships. The transaction positions Cymat to capture $7.5-10 million...
READ MORECopper prices edged lower in the immediate aftermath of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, defying expectations of a geopolitical risk premium for the industrial metal. Official trading data show both London and U.S. copper futures dipped by 0.1% to 0.3% in the first session following the attack, with benchmark contracts on the London Metal...
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 MOREThe Canadian federal government announced on Thursday that it will adjust its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum products starting July 21, 2025, a move directly tied to the progress of intense trade negotiations with the Trump administration. The adjustment is part of a multi-pronged strategy to protect Canadian industries from what Ottawa has...
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 MORETroilus Gold, a Canadian mineral exploration and development company, has reached an agreement on indicative commercial offtake terms with Aurubis, a global copper smelter headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The agreement covers the copper-gold concentrate expected to be produced from Troilus’ project in north-central Quebec, Canada. This development helps to underpin the project’s financial profile as...
READ MOREChevron U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has acquired approximately 125,000 net acres across Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas, marking its entry into the U.S. lithium sector. The leasehold positions, secured from TerraVolta Resources (backed by The Energy & Minerals Group) and East Texas Natural Resources, target the Smackover Formation—a geologic unit increasingly recognized...
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 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 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 MORERio Tinto and Chile’s state-owned Codelco have signed a binding agreement to form a joint venture aimed at developing and operating a major lithium project at the Salar de Maricunga in northern Chile. Under the terms of the agreement, Rio Tinto will acquire a 49.99% stake in Salar de Maricunga SpA, the entity holding the...
READ MOREEmirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has announced plans to construct a new primary aluminium production facility near Tulsa, Oklahoma, marking the first such plant to be built in the United States since 1980. The $4 billion project is expected to nearly double U.S. aluminium output, adding 600,000 tonnes of annual production capacity at a time when...
READ MOREBHP and Lundin Mining Agree to Jointly Acquire Filo Corp., Establish Copper Joint Venture in Vicuña DistrictBHP and Lundin Mining Corporation have agreed to jointly acquire 100% of the Toronto-listed Filo Corp., which wholly owns the Filo del Sol copper project in the Vicuña district, spanning Argentina and Chile. The companies will subsequently form a...
READ MOREU.S.-based Merritt, a long-standing manufacturer of livestock and gooseneck trailers, has acquired British Columbia-based Magnum Trailer & Equipment in a move aimed at expanding its aluminium product offerings for the heavy-duty trucking industry across North America. The acquisition brings Merritt’s total workforce to more than 520 employees across five locations, with over 400,000 square feet...
READ MORENorwegian aluminium producer Hydro has said that newly expanded U.S. tariffs on metals and automotive products are unlikely to significantly impact its business, due to limited exposure to affected trade flows and a diversified production footprint. In a financial update last week, CEO Eivind Kallevik addressed the evolving U.S. trade policy landscape, particularly the expansion...
READ MOREWestwin Elements is moving ahead with plans to build the first nickel refinery in the United States, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources of the metal. The refinery, to be located in Lawton, Oklahoma, is expected to scale up to 64,000 metric tons of annual capacity. In January, the project received a...
READ MOREUK exports of aluminium to the United States will no longer face tariffs following a new agreement reached between the two countries. The deal, announced on Thursday, removes the Section 232 tariffs that had been imposed on British aluminium and steel, providing relief to UK producers who have faced prolonged trade friction since the measures...
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