First Quantum said to seek sale of stake in giant copper project

First Quantum Minerals is in talks to sell a stake in one of the world’s biggest undeveloped copper projects as rival miners and strategic investors rush to boost exposure to the metal. First... 

Congo taps Portugal’s Mota-Engil to revive copper rail link

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) approved a plan to partner with Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil SGPS on rehabilitating a key railway used for transporting copper and cobalt. The... 

China expands strategic mineral toolkit with new investment firm

A new, Beijing-backed mining investment vehicle is aimed at bolstering China’s grip on overseas resources, as the country pushes back against US and European efforts to curb its dominance of the... 

India power giant seeks uranium assets overseas in nuclear push

India’s largest power producer is seeking to invest in overseas uranium mines to secure supplies needed to fuel 30 GW of nuclear power capacity it plans to build over the next two decades.... 

Vietnam eyes building more coal power as war squeezes LNG supply

Vietnam is considering developing more coal-fired capacity to meet its power needs as the US-Iran war constrains supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG). “Recent conflicts in the Middle East have... 

US Defence Agency seeks to buy up to $300m of lithium

The US Department of Defense is buying lithium for its strategic stockpiles as the nation ramps up efforts to reduce supply risks for critical minerals. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is... 

De Beers makes deep diamond price cuts for shrinking buyers club

De Beers has made some of the deepest ever cuts to its official diamond prices, potentially signaling an end to its years-long campaign to hold them well above the market rate. The cuts come at the... 

BHP gets approval to start $15bn copper expansion in Chile

BHP Group has received its first major environmental approval for the expansion of its Escondida copper mine in Chile, enabling a tranche of work worth as much as $14.7-billion to start. The... 

Weaker commodity prices set to tip Australia into trade deficit

The boost to Australia’s trade from the mining boom looks to be fading as imports soar and export growth flatlines, potentially putting it on track for the first annual deficit since 2016. The... 

Japan cuts gas in favour of coal as Hormuz disruption chokes LNG

Japan sharply reduced natural gas-fired power generation last month, instead relying more on coal, as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz tightened supplies of the cleaner-burning fuel. The... 

Australia runs surprise trade deficit with widest gap since 2015

Australia fell into a surprise trade deficit in May as exports dropped the most all year, with imports extending a streak of gains caused in part by high fuel prices and data center demand.... 

European lithium miner eyes secondary listing as interest grows

London-listed lithium developer Savannah Resources is pursuing a secondary listing in Lisbon or Australia to tap growing investor appetite for battery materials. The company, with a project in... 

Sherritt warns of going-concern risk after Trump expands Cuba sanctions

A Canadian miner that is one of Cuba’s biggest foreign investors warned investors that its ability to carry on as a going concern is in doubt after Donald Trump expanded US sanctions on the... 

Major Indonesian nickel smelter enters court-ordered debt halt

One of Indonesia’s largest nickel smelters has been placed under a temporary debt suspension by a local court, as the Southeast Asian nation’s industry grapples with ore shortages and low metal... 

China places two US rare earths producers on export control list

China has imposed export controls on two US rare earth producers that are part of Washington’s effort to establish alternative supply chains for minerals critical to advanced manufacturing and... 

Vale board resists shareholder Previ’s bid to oust chairperson

Boardmembers of Vale, the world’s top iron-ore producer, voted against a proposal by one of the company’s largest shareholders to remove Daniel André Stieler as chairperson, according to people... 

Ghana is weighing local control of Gold Fields’ biggest mine

Ghana is considering transferring control of Gold Fields’s Tarkwa mine to local firms when its leases expire next April, part of a push to increase control of its gold industry and capture more of... 

Rio Tinto resumes copper exports from massive Mongolian mine

Rio Tinto Group has resumed exports of copper concentrate from its vast Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia following a short protest. The protesters began a blockade of a key road on Wednesday... 

Zimbabwe licenses second gold refinery to handle rising output

Zimbabwe has licensed a second gold refinery to handle purchases and processing of the southern African nation’s increasing output of the precious metal. The refinery, to be located in the... 

Lobito railway receives first Congo shipment after flood repairs

Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) received its first copper shipment from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since reopening a flood-damaged section of the corridor, restoring traffic on a key... 

Chinese region promotes coal chemicals as energy security fix

One of China’s top coal-producing regions plans to expand use of the feedstock to manufacture chemicals, even as the practice poses a rising threat to the country’s climate goals. The Iran War has... 

South Africa set to run coal stations longer as gas projects lag

South Africa is poised to delay the retirement of about a fifth of its coal-fired electricity-generation capacity as gas projects earmarked to replace them remain behind schedule, contrasting a... 

Gold major Northern Star rejects new investor proposal to sell the company

Australia’s biggest gold miner Northern Star Resources has rejected a proposal by activist investor Elliott Investment Management to sell off some of its smaller assets or seek to sell itself to a... 

China picks State firm to help coordinate mining deals abroad

China has chosen a new State investment company to help coordinate its overseas metals and mining deals, and counter mounting geopolitical risks that threaten its ability to secure resources,... 

Guinea’s Simandou iron exports surge six months after first ore

Exports from Guinea’s Simandou iron-ore project surged in May, six months after the first shipment to China, marking a milestone in the ramp-up of the high-grade mine that has the potential to... 

China’s State buyer seeks scrutiny of new Fortescue iron-ore

China’s State-backed iron-ore buyer has instructed some steel mills to ask questions about Fortescue's new low-grade product as negotiations over a long-term supply contract hit a rough patch.... 

Indonesia advances export control plan despite uncertainty

Indonesia is pushing ahead with plans to centralize exports of key commodities starting June 1, casting a cloud of regulatory uncertainty over natural resource producers. Coal, palm oil and ferro... 

Iron-ore heads for monthly loss as coal spike pressures margins

Iron-ore headed for a monthly loss as a short-lived rally triggered by a fatal steelmaking-coal mine accident in China’s Shanxi province faded, leaving investors focused on mill margins and... 

South Africa set to run coal stations longer as gas projects lag

South Africa is poised to delay the retirement of about a fifth of its coal-fired electricity-generation capacity as gas projects earmarked to replace them remain behind schedule, contrasting a... 

Chinese coal disaster to ripple through steel, power, chemicals

The Shanxi coal disaster is likely to hit Chinese output in the short term, raising costs for steelmakers, power plants and chemicals manufacturers. The explosion at a coking coal mine that killed... 

Codelco, SQM budget $3bn for lithium project in Chile

Chilean mining companies Codelco and SQM are budgeting $3-billion to deploy new extraction technologies at their lithium joint venture in the Atacama Desert. The companies' Novandino Litio... 

SQM boosts lithium guidance as earnings top estimates

Chilean copper miner SQM reported a sharp increase in first-quarter profit and raised its lithium sales forecast, betting that robust demand from battery storage systems will keep the market... 

China’s Jinchuan says $145m missing in Congo mine probe

Jinchuan Group International Resources Co said an independent probe found that nearly $145-million was siphoned from its copper and cobalt operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo through... 

BHP reportedly cuts green push in iron-ore segment, media report says

BHP Group is allegedly pulling back on key decarbonization projects in its Western Australian iron-ore operations, slowing a climate strategy the miner had once positioned as central to its... 

Egypt eyes first aerial survey in 40 years to map mineral riches

Egypt will carry out its first comprehensive aerial mining survey in more than four decades, part of efforts to unlock mineral discoveries and attract foreign investment. Xcalibur Smart Mapping... 

Chalco agrees to build alumina plant in Guinea for $1bn

Aluminum Corp of China, the country’s largest State-owned producer of the lightweight metal, has agreed to invest $1-billion in an alumina plant in Guinea to tap local bauxite resources. Chalco, as... 

EU’s top copper miner KGHM eyes takeovers as global energy shift spurs demand for red metal

KGHM Polska Miedz SA, the EU’s largest copper producer, plans to expand its footprint abroad as the global shift to cleaner technologies fuels appetite for the red metal. Poland-based KGHM wants... 

Copper climbs toward record high as global supply tightens

Copper extended gains above $14 000/t, inching toward a record high seen earlier this year, as supply risks mount on mine disruptions around the world. The red metal rallied for an eighth session... 

Race for critical minerals leaves EU struggling to keep up

For the EU, the fate of a Cold War-era mine near Bratislava is becoming a litmus test for its ambition to break free from China’s chokehold over critical minerals. Sitting in a wooded range of... 

Freeport Indonesia pushes back Grasberg Copper restart by a year

PT Freeport Indonesia pushed back the full restart of its giant Grasberg copper mine by a year, worsening supply constraints that are already impacting the global market for the metal. The complex...