CHART: EV battery metals index jumps to 27-month high
December’s raw materials bill for global electric vehicles topped $2 billion for the first time since August 2023 and surging lithium, nickel prices going into 2026 puts battery metals slump…
manganese
Indaba: New Cold War for minerals tests Africa’s ability to leverage huge resources
Africa’s vast critical-mineral endowment has thrust the continent to the centre of intensifying rivalries between the United States, China and other powers, but its future will depend more on governance…
US mineral supply vulnerable to China chokehold: report
A new report by the United States Geological Survey reveals that the U.S. has grown more reliant on foreign imports of minerals over the past year, highlighting the increased urgency…
Spotlight: Energy Transition Metals
Energy transition metals have never been as critical as they are today. Here’s a look at four companies seeking to reduce North America’s reliance on critical minerals from China by building domestic supply chains….
South32 backs $35M push at Alaska copper project
The miner has signed off on a $35M work program to advance its Arctic copper project in Alaska through the Ambler JV.
US streamlines permitting for deep-sea miners
The Trump administration has adopted new rules slashing the permitting process for deep-sea mining in half. Effective immediately, the two-step process of getting an exploration license and then a commercial…
DRC pitches copper, cobalt and more to US
The Democratic Republic of Congo has handed the United States a vetted list of mining and processing projects open to American investment, signalling Washington’s most concrete move yet to chip…
Copper’s next shortage is structural, not hype: analyst
Copper is heading into a structural deficit from 2026 as demand from electrification accelerates faster than new supply, according to BloombergNEF, with geopolitical intervention now the single biggest force shaping…
Norway halts deep sea mining
Norway is hitting pause on deep sea mining after the governing party reached a deal with the opposition to ensure adoption of its latest budget. No deep sea licences will…
China minerals curb could cost US GDP $1B: Macquarie
China’s export controls on certain critical minerals could cut gross domestic product in the United States by more than $1 billion a year, even if U.S. reliance on Chinese imports…
Blast from the Past: US proposes huge mining program
In early 1942, with America newly at war and global supply lines shattered, the U.S. Bureau of Mines unveiled an ambitious plan to secure the raw materials needed to arm…
Appian, World Bank unit start $1B critical minerals fund
U.K. private-equity firm Appian Capital Advisory is teaming up with the World Bank-owned International Finance Corporation (IFC) to start a $1-billion critical minerals, metals and mining fund that will be…