Timeline: The Oyu Tolgoi saga
From discovery to blockade: the twists, deals and disputes behind Mongolia’s Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine.
Regulatory Issues
Newmont’s Red Chris underground expansion gets regulatory green light in BC
Newmont’s (NYSE: NEM, TSE: NGT) Red Chris mine in British Columbia has received crucial regulatory approvals, paving the way for a transition from open-pit mining to an underground operation and…
Aclara Resources gets environmental OK for Chile rare earths project
The receipt of the final environmental approval for Aclara Resources’ (TSX: ARA) Penco Module rare earths project in Chile shows the need for governments to make the most of the…
Anglo, Codelco seal pact to unlock $5B in copper
Anglo American (LSE: AAL) and Chilean state-owned miner Codelco have finalized a landmark agreement to combine development plans at their neighbouring Los Bronces and Andina mines, unlocking at least $5…
China blacklists US firms in rare earths war
China has imposed export controls on two American rare earth companies central to U.S. efforts to build alternative supply chains for critical minerals used in advanced manufacturing and defence. MP…
Guinea halts raw gold exports, seeks local refining
Guinea has banned the export of raw gold in an effort to raise domestic processing of metals, Africa-focused business news site Ecofin Agency reported Monday. President Mamadi Doumbouya announced the…
St Barbara’s Nova Scotia gold hub gets green light
Australia’s St Barbara (ASX: SBM) has advanced plans for its Nova Scotia gold development after federal assessment regulators accepted the initial project description for the proposed 15-Mile Processing Hub, launching…
How an odd vision sparked South Africa’s latest zama zama illegal gold mining rush
A farm lying beside tailings from historical gold mines near Johannesburg has joined the legion of illegal mining sites in South Africa in an unusual way. It began with a…
Allseas ocean bottom mining contract violates UN law, Greenpeace-backed prof says
Plans by Swiss-Dutch offshore energy giant Allseas to operate deep-sea mining machinery for The Metals Company (Nasdaq: TMC) have “directly violated” the UN’s Law of the Sea, a legal analysis…
China could retaliate against threats to critical metal security: analysts
China’s new Mineral Resources Law, which took effect this week, could give the Asian giant a formal legal basis to fight against foreign restrictions threatening its mineral security, analysts say….
Switzerland loses its shine as central bank gold vault
While central banks worldwide continue to buy more gold, they’re increasingly not selling dollars to do it while cutting the amount they store in once-favoured Switzerland. After banks were net…
Rinehart’s $1B SpaceX bet targets mining beyond Earth
Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart sees potential ties between its critical minerals portfolio and Elon Musk’s space venture as demand grows.